That no smoking sign on airplanes means cannabis, too

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A flight gets diverted after a passenger lights up

Everyone knows that smoking is no longer permitted on aircraft. Even getting caught lighting up in the lavatory is grounds for huge fines, but some people still believe the laws don’t apply to them. One recent flyer may have thought the no-smoking rule only applied to tobacco, but found out the hard way that lighting anything on an airplane can be detrimental to one’s well-being.

On a recent American Airlines flight from Phoenix, AZ to Minneapolis, MN, passengers found themselves suddenly heading off course about an hour into the flight. It ended up landing in Denver, CO, where it kicked off an “unruly passenger,” according to the flight captain. That unidentified passenger had decided to smoke marijuana in the main cabin.

The passenger had also reportedly consumed cocaine, although this wasn’t confirmed – it was just the passenger’s own statement attesting to the use. The pilot decided that the passenger was a safety risk and headed to Denver as a precaution.

Once there, the passenger was handed over to law enforcement, but not before making one last scene on the plane. A video of the man’s activity shows that, once the plane landed, “the pilot was heard asking the first 13 rows of passengers to exit the plane so they could remove the man in question” and the passenger “reportedly punched one of the other passengers as they attempted to exit.”

He was still holding a marijuana cigarette in his mouth as he was taken away, possibly to a mental health facility.