Originally Posted by
ygstl
I just flew into DTW North terminal, and walked past an agent near the (deserted, maybe closed as it was almost 10 PM) checkpoint who was on her phone. I overheard one line of the conversation, but it was a doozy: “I can’t wait for December 15. All dispensaries will close so the price of my .... will go up” Just to make sure I heard correctly, I did a quick Google and she’s referencing the fact that marijuana dispensaries in Michigan will indeed be forced to close on December 15. So the conversation seems to imply that she has a side hustle of selling weed.
Now, my opinion on it weed is, I don’t care. It’s not my thing, but smoke it, grow it, sell it, I don’t care. I am all for legalizing it. I don’t hold it against anyone, and if I were an employer, I wouldn’t care if my employees used or sold it, as long as we aren’t dealing with heavy machinery and they don’t come to work high. That being said, I also expect that the people hired by the federal government to supposedly keep air travelers safe shouldn’t be committing felonies, even if I disagree with it being a crime in the first place. I also believe that someone dumb enough to take that call out in the open, as an entire 737 load of passengers walks past, rather than in private maybe should not be in charge of our safety and security. Granted, selling weed is probably one of the better crimes a TSA agent is guilty of, and if we could see the rap sheets for all the agents, I doubt any of us would ever fly again.
I am not sure if I should let it go, or actually report it to anyone, or who I would report it to. I realize I have no proof this conversation took place, and no names (although a physical description should be good enough to identify the employee since it was late and there weren’t a lot of staff on duty at the time). So I am turning to the good people of FlyerTalk: If you were me, what would you do?
Is it possible that the TSO was speaking sarcastically? One of my favorite snarks is "Oh, I jut LOVE people who <insert behavior that I despise>!" Perhaps she was sarcastically saying, "Oh, sure, I can't wait until the change that causes me to pay a lot more for a necessary medication!" I don't normally cut TSA or individual TSOs much slack, but in this case I suppose it is possible that the situation is not what it sounded like.
Originally Posted by
essxjay
I wouldn't give it another thought. Off the top of my head there are about a half a million wrongs in the world that need attending to before the trivial side gig of a TSA screener. If it turns out to be as lucrative as she hopes, she won't be a screener much longer anyway. Win-win.
Not all MM users are on disability or in debilitating pain. People on chemo still go to work despite nausea, as do people with suffering glaucoma, seizure disorders, autoimmune diseases and other common medical conditions -- all of are justification for a MM card in most MM-legal states. Not trying to defend the particular screener in question here, just responding to your comment.
Exactly what I was thinking.
Sure, plenty of people who legitimately use MJ to treat such ailments are perfectly capable of working many jobs.
However, since MJ does impair judgement and reflexes, are there not restrictions on those who are under the influence? Don't operate heavy equipment, don't utilize firearms, don't handle explosives, don't screen pax at an airport when hundreds of lives could be at stake, etc.
Personally, I would be against any TSO who is on medical MJ being allowed to perform any sort of screening duty, either on pax or luggage, for the duration of their treatment. Just like being on any other mind-altering substance like opiod pain killers or cough medicines, they should be given responsibilities that can still be performed safely in an altered state.