A United Airlines pilot refused to fly from San Francisco to Mexico over fears that he could fail a drug test over secondhand smoke after a passenger smoked pot on the plane, the New York Post reported Friday.
The incident happened Tuesday after "someone smoked weed in the front bathrooms," according to the report. United Flight 1679 to Cancun was delayed for four hours after a new crew was summoned, the Post reported.
"I have 30 years left of my career at United. I'm not willing to risk getting drug tested when I get to Houston," the pilot purportedly announced to the passengers, according to the report.
"The likelihood of testing positive from secondhand marijuana smoke in a well-ventilated aircraft is laughably low," Gary Leff wrote on View From the Wing. "Yet I still understand the irrational fear given FAA drug testing regulations and zero-tolerance airline policies that punish even inadvertent exposure if a positive test occurs."
It's unclear what happened to the passenger.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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