From random (to not-so-random) searches to people with prosthetic limbs being asked to prove they’re there to babies in blankets being checked before boarding, it’s never a surprise to discover what the latest thing being banned from the friendly skies might be.

Which is exactly why it’s so surprising that flights coming out of the Bay Area might be carrying passengers with approved baggies of pot.Granted, the marijuana they are traveling with is of the medical variety, but given the strict regulations on so many other substances, it’s still a cause for eyebrows to disappear beneath hairlines.

According to San Francisco police, as long as the patients carry cards that verify that the pot is for medical purposes, they are allowed to bring up to 8 ounces of dried marijuana on board with their toiletries. The police use the same policy within the city itself, and have been doing so since November of 2008.

Airport staff aren’t allowed to dictate who can fly or not with the cannabis; only the local police have that authority.

In San Jose, the law differs. While passengers are allowed to fly with their drugs, the police do write up a report and submit it to a federal judge, who then decides whether criminal activity has occurred or not.

The U.S. Justice Department in general is backing the patients, saying that prosecution of travelers with valid medical needs for the marijuana should be avoided as long as they cooperate with local laws.