The Transportation Security Administration temporarily added medical marijuana to its list of items allowed on planes.
The error, noticed by marijuana website Leafly, showed medical marijuana as one of the items allowed on both carry on baggage and checked baggage. The description even added, “TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other drugs. In the event a substance that appears to be marijuana is observed during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.”
The “error” echoes official TSA policy that clearly states the TSA does not screen for marijuana or other drugs.
The TSA’s Twitter, “AskTSA,” quickly clarified the database made a “mistake”:
The agency also repeated they don’t arrest people for marijuana.
TSA spokesperson Michael England told CNN, “There was an error in the database of a new search tool that is now corrected.”
“While we have no regulations on possessing/transporting marijuana, possession is a crime under federal law. Our officers are not looking for illegal narcotics, but they have to report them to law enforcement when discovered,” he continued.
As of Wednesday, the TSA website was updated to put marijuana on the prohibited list, adding, “Whether or not marijuana is considered legal under local law is not relevant to TSA screening because TSA is governed by federal law. Federal law provides no basis to treat medical marijuana any differently than non-medical marijuana.”
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