I was looking (for something else) on http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-informat...ohibited-items and saw something I hadn't seen or noticed before.

This seems to be the only item that even TSA does not regard as a threat to aviation, yet which is explicitly listed as prohibited.

I hope they have FEDERAL police available, as local police would allow medical weed if the owner has the appropriate credentials. The person would be OK with the local and state police, and only a Federal law enforcement would have authority.

Or am I wrong?

Does the TSA have a problem with the truth, accuracy and scientific research? Apparently so, going by what the TSA stated above and it's lack of distinction between different types of medical narcotics, in this case different types of "medical marijuana".

Federal law provides a basis to treat some medical marijuana differently than non-medical marijuana. And the same goes for other controlled narcotics too. Is the TSA unaware that federal law has provided some medical researchers a lawful right even to cocaine, for example? Much the same goes for marijuana too.

Possession and trafficking of such controlled narcotics for non-professional use is most frequently a federal crime; however some use of such controlled substances for medical purposes -- for example medical research -- is provided for under federal law.

I am no fan of recreational use of any mind-altering controlled substances, but I do expect that some controlled narcotics do have a role in medicine for purposes including palliative/hospice care and medical research.

Yes, but we knew that before.

Marijuana* ('medical' or otherwise) is not a "narcotic" under federal law, nor is it considered a narcotic in the medical community.

They are pretty stingy when it comes to the former.

Probably; they are unaware of a lot. But the government doesn't have to give special permission for research using cocaine like they do with marijuana. Doctors can actually prescribe cocaine, not that they do, and certainly not for snorting or ingestion. But they could. (They use it in ERs as a topical anesthetic).

*"Marihuana" is actually the term found in the USC.

Most of the items on that list are not threats to aviation.

They just don't want you to fly high

Manufacture a prohibited items list to give the TSA "clerks," "personnel," and "representatives," a pat on the back and a feeling of being an "officer," when they do find someone's personal use cannabis.

This simply makes clear what has been a point of confusion for travelers to/from states which have laws which in some form suggest that the possession of marijuana may be legal (with or without prescription). It remains a violation of federal law throughout the US.

Because marijuana is contraband, an Officer finding marijuana have an obligation to report that to law enforcement for whatever further action law enforcement chooses to take. That obligation is on the Officer, whether he has law enforcement authority or not. Would be the same for any federal employee who comes upon a violation of federal law.

There are many people who live in jurisdictions where marijuana possession laws have not been enforced for many years even before the current legal changes. They go on a trip to a location where it's taken very seriously and get bad surprises.

This kind of warning is helpful to those people. A way of saying, "leave it at home..."

OK, a TSO finds marijuana, reports to local police and police takes no action. Why would that item not be permitted on the aircraft at that point since it is clearly not Weapons, Explosive, or Incendiary in nature?

I suspect if that happens (someone on a flight from, say, WA to CO, two states that have legalized marijuana to some extent), TSA will summon federal authorities.

If the local LEO defers, who detains the passenger while the feds arrive? Does the TSA just find some before unknown reason to use their discretion to prevent the passenger from going into the sterile area?

I think I just answered my own question. But, even then, they can not detain the passenger, but just not allow them to to proceed. The passenger could still go back outside, ditch the MJ and try again. Right?

Until last week, Blogdad Bob, in his weekly gun post, had been silent for a very long time about clerks finding drugs. This, I believe, was because of all the ridicule we gave him and because of the legal issues this created. Not one of the 20 comments mentions finding pot in the guy's soda can. I suspect they were all censored.

From Pissy on down, they would have to keep telling people that their clerks don't look for drugs (or cash for that matter). When cases kept cropping up where clerks HAD, in fact, searched for drugs without any prohibited item justification, it was easiest for them to simply stop reporting Big Catches of drugs and cash.

I suspect the inclusion about pot (and not any other illegal drug by name) was put there because they were either told to put it there or a federal LE agency told the TSA to start looking for medical pot.

Not to take this to Omni, but it gives an indication of which way Holder/Obama are headed regarding the states that have legalized marijuana.

IIRC, TSA has argued in the past that once a pax presents to the TDC, he/she can be forced to complete the screening process, even if he/she decides at some point to bail. Again, IIRC, I think the argument was that this was necessary to prevent bad guys from 'testing' the system or getting away if it looked like they were going to be caught.

So TSA could say that the pax with the pot has to complete the screening process before he/she is free to leave the airport. At that point, one TSO will summon the Feds while the others go into slo-o-ooow motion, testing and re-testing everything, identifying 'anomalies' that can only be resolved in a backroom inspection, necessary personnel for backroom inspection out-to-lunch/not immediately available...bla-bla.

Meanwhile, someone will almost certainly have contacted local LE higher-ups and described a suspected 'teww...' threat and requested backup assistance (detention until the Feds arrive) - and they will definitely get it.

The marijuana itself is contraband. The pax is free to go and the marijuana is dealt with along with all other contraband (presumably turned over to law enforcement in batches and destroyed).