The Pot Cookie Defense

FEBRUARY 3--A San Francisco man arrested Sunday for disrupting a cross-country flight told FBI agents that he was high on "double his normal dose" of marijuana cookies, which he obtained via a medical marijuana card.

Kinman Chan, 30, melted down on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, according to the this FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court. During the flight, Chan, pictured at left, began behaving oddly, "waving, smiling and making odd gestures," crew member Lorin Gorman told investigators.

After entering a lavatory, Chan "began to scream loudly and cause a general distubance," reported FBI Agent Joel Compeggie. As he was being accompanied back to his seat, Chan allegedly became aggressive and tried to elbow Gorman. He was then subdued by crew members, placed in plastic handcuffs, and secured to a seat. As a result of the disturbance, the flight was diverted to Pittsburgh, where Chan was arrested.

Chan, who was returning from a conference in the Dominican Republic, told agents that he ingested the pot cookies while waiting for a connecting flight at the Philadelphia airport. "Chan advised he has a medical marijuana card and he took double his normal dose," noted Compeggie. It is unknown what malady Chan is treating with the marijuana cookies.

Chan, charged with interfering with the duties of a flight attendant, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted of the felony count. (4 pages)