Bernalillo County sheriff boots firefighters from helicopter unit over marijuana policy (NM - County firefighters can use pot off duty)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | December 31, 2025 | Nakayla McClelland

[CedarDave]

After more than 10 years of partnering on search and rescue missions, wildfire fights and medical interventions, Bernalillo County firefighters have been ousted from the Sheriff's Office's helicopter unit.

The reason? A policy change allowing firefighters to smoke marijuana while off duty.

"Sheriff John Allen made this decision in early June 2025 following a county policy change that allows firefighters to use marijuana off-duty and removes random cannabis testing," Jayme Gonzales, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, said in a news release Wednesday. "MASU (Metro Air Support Unit) performs aviation operations and life-saving rescue work where the margin for error is zero."

The president of the firefighters union, which covers Albuquerque Fire Rescue and Bernalillo County Fire and Rescue, said that — despite the policy change — firefighters agreed to random drug tests in order to remain compliant and continue working with MASU, but Allen said no.

The Metro Air Support Unit runs out of a BCSO-operated helicopter and was historically staffed by BCSO pilots and deputies and BCFR personnel. The unit — utilizing law enforcement and medical expertise — provided aid in search and rescue operations, helped fight fires and assisted BCSO in arrests.

On July 16, 2022, the former Metro 2 helicopter — a Bell UH-1H — crashed and killed three BCSO deputies and BCFR rescue specialist Capt. Matthew King. A wrongful death lawsuit filed after the crash alleges the helicopter was a death trap with numerous engine fatigue cracks that caused the aircraft to plummet to the ground.

The lawsuit, which made no mention of marijuana usage or impaired flying, is still pending. A federal investigation determined that the operator of the helicopter, which was flown and maintained by BCSO Undersheriff Larry Koren, did not use lab results showing the compromised engine "to troubleshoot" the issue.

[CedarDave]

After the July 2022 crash killed four, the sheriff wants zero chance of a crew member being under the influence of pot. Sounds reasonable to me especially because recreational pot is now legal in NM with pot shops everywhere.

[iamgalt]

Good call.

[Responsibility2nd]

Long term pot smoking leads to higher levels cognitive dissonance and impairments.

[CedarDave]

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[V_TWIN]

Yeah, that’s what I want.....Spicoli rescuing me.....what could go wrong?

[V_TWIN]

Also a gateway drug......was for me anyway.

Ended up using AND dealing both pot and coke back in the day.

I can only explain not ever getting caught and going to jail as protection from God.....I truly believe that.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

What's good for the Marines, is good for the Sheriff.

[LegendHasIt]

WOW! I hadn’t heard about any of this. Thanks for the ping.

I’m glad I’m out of Bernalillo County and never planning on going back or even passing through.

[calico_thompson]

A licensed pilot is not supposed to drink 24 hrs. prior to flying.

[MikelTackNailer]

Am I the only one who read the headline and thought of Auguste Pinochet's Free Copter Tours for Commies?

Got a line of new ones ready to go,
but we're gonna need more copters.

[Fury]

Aviation and pot - what could go wrong?

[Freedom4US]

In the .mil we were counseled “12 hours bottle to throttle”; and/or “until no residual effects remain”, which I interpreted as a hangover. I can say hangovers are not good.

We had to spool up for something one time in the field, can’t remember what it was, but our commander basically asked who was the least drunk out of everyone present and somehow got a crew put together.

I like how the author here describes the Sheriff involved here by name, but there isn’t any individual involved with the weed - just a vague “county policy change”, as if it fell out of the sky or something. Who did that?

[BerryDingle]

“As God is my witness, I thought Commies could fly!”

[MikelTackNailer]

LOL! I know of some SEALs who would have gladly traded Afghani "allies" for buzzed American firefighters.

Good research experiment:

Drop Wahabbists and Communists from copters at the same time to see which one's evil ideology makes them hit the ground faster.

[BerryDingle]

LOL (-:

[AlaskaErik]

A licensed pilot is not supposed to drink 24 hrs. prior to flying.

As a pilot I can assure you that's incorrect. The FAA rule is eight hours, well known among pilots as "eight hours from bottle to throttle." In military aviation we could not drink 12 hours beforehand. Airlines have their own policies, but eight hours is the line in the sand.

[Does so]

“Aviation and pot - what could go wrong?”
.
Spontaneous abortions and psychoses—including schizophrenia?