Travelers flying out of Chicago can now conveniently dispose of their recreational marijuana before boarding their flight.
According to the Chicago Tribune, both O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport installed “cannabis amnesty boxes” earlier this month in the wake of recreational marijuana legalization in Illinois.
The boxes are located near TSA checkpoints at the two airports and could save passengers some potential headaches as marijuana isn’t legal everywhere and is still illegal under federal law, which regulates airspace.
“We’re not encouraging people to bring cannabis through the airports at all. But if for some reason you have it on you, we have those amnesty boxes out there so that you can dispose of it prior to getting on the airplane,” Maggie Huynh, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Police Department, told the Tribune.
While TSA doesn’t actively search for marijuana during screening, officers who uncover drugs or illegal substances are required to “refer the matter to a law enforcement officer,” according to TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.
Chicago O’Hare and Midway Airports Now Provide Weed “Dumping Boxes”https://t.co/7RKiFaEe8w
Traveling with cannabis is still illegal in the U.S., so the boxes are being provided to help passengers avoid legal trouble.#cannabismagazine #CannabisNews #Chicago #dumpingboxes pic.twitter.com/eolsOYESpo
— Cannabis Magazine (@cannabis_mag) January 8, 2020
Chicago’s airports aren’t the first to install marijuana disposal boxes. Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport and Colorado Springs Airport also offer similar cannabis amnesty boxes.
