United Airlines flight reportedly delayed after passenger smokes cannabis in plane toilets
- barneyelias0
- Aug 21
- 2 min read
and Youtube
August 21 2025
A United Airlines flight was allegedly delayed for four hours after a passenger smoked cannabis in the plane's toilets.
Flight UA1679 was due to take off from San Francisco airport to Cancun in Mexico on 5 August, but was delayed at first due to administrative issues.
The plane’s journey was further interrupted, according to reports, as a result of a passenger smoking cannabis in the toilets at the front of the plane while it was still grounded.
A viral Reddit post by someone who said they were on board details that the passenger was caught and removed from the flight. However, due to the flight crew’s exposure to secondhand smoke, the pilot refused to take off and a replacement crew was found.
Pilots are randomly drug tested and, if caught over a legal limit, can have their pilot licence revoked.
In the post, a user reported the captain as saying: “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 user added that after the crew became concerned about the secondhand smoke exposure, the entire flight was deplaned.
Passengers were then reportedly each handed a $15 (£11.12) meal voucher as compensation for the delay.
FlightAware data shows that the flight eventually arrived in Cancun after a four hour delay.
While it is legal to buy and use cannabis if you are 21 or older in San Francisco, the drug remains illegal on a federal level.
Many places in California are policed by federal authorities, including airports. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says that its officers are required to report any suspected violations of law to local, state, or federal authorities.
“TSA’s screening procedures are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers,” the organisation notes.
“Accordingly, TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other illegal drugs, but if any illegal substance is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.”
Many airports in the US, such as Chicago’s O’Hare International, have cannabis amnesty boxes for travellers.
The Independent contacted United but they declined to comment.
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