diff --git a/src/plugins/accounting_storage/common/common_as.c b/src/plugins/accounting_storage/common/common_as.c
index a153f62b3893aacea61ef8a19f981b8d371e49ad..a942b7145dfafdcd640fdf918a6c04a5a79f7c3e 100644
--- a/src/plugins/accounting_storage/common/common_as.c
+++ b/src/plugins/accounting_storage/common/common_as.c
@@ -62,8 +62,6 @@ extern char *wckey_day_table;
 extern char *wckey_hour_table;
 extern char *wckey_month_table;
 
-extern __thread bool drop_priv;
-
 /*
  * We want SLURMDB_MODIFY_ASSOC always to be the last
  */
@@ -553,10 +551,6 @@ extern bool is_user_min_admin_level(void *db_conn, uid_t uid,
 	 * THERE IS NO AUTHENTICATION WHEN RUNNNING OUT OF THE
 	 * SLURMDBD!
 	 */
-#ifndef NDEBUG
-	if (drop_priv)
-		return false;
-#endif
 	if (slurmdbd_conf) {
 		/* We have to check the authentication here in the
 		 * plugin since we don't know what accounts are being