Montel Williams Glad Officials Found His Pot Pipe

The former talk show host was at LAX last night ... where he explained that because he uses weed for a medicinal purpose, he needs to have his pipe the same way that a diabetic needs to carry around a syringe ... strictly as a "utensil" for taking his medication.

Williams claims officials tested the pipe for marijuana residue -- and the tests came back negative so "the thing was completely thrown out of court."