Legally availabile marijuana in some countries adds to airline woes

NEW DELHI: The legal availability of marijuana for either medicinal or recreational use in places like Thailand and Amsterdam has made life difficult for airlines flying there. The reason: Unlike simple breath analyser tests for checking if the crew is tipsy, the process of detecting consumption of psychoactive substances is difficult. The only way to deter their consumption by flight crew members, say officials across multiple airlines, is to increase random dope testing as there substances usually remain present in the body for much longer than alcohol.The concern across airlines globally to check this stems from the fact that operating a flight “under the influence of any psychoactive substance might render (licensed personnel like pilots) unable to safely and properly exercise” perform their duty, according to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).Possibly the most infamous case of this was a US carrier’s off duty pilot travelling on the jump seat (extra…