Illinois’ new era of legal weed means travelers passing through Chicago airports don’t need to worry about TSA if they’re holding. But if you don’t feel like taking your pot on the plane, well, that’s cool, too.
Local officials announced this week that so-called “cannabis amnesty boxes” have been installed at O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport. Positioned at each airport’s TSA checkpoints, the boxes will serve as a receptacle for travelers who would like to ditch their marijuana products before boarding.
“We’re not encouraging people to bring cannabis through the airports at all,” Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Maggie Huynh said, as quoted by the Chicago Tribune. “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.”
Illinois’ new law, which took effect on New Year’s Day, permits adults aged 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of marijuana. The law, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last summer, will also result in the pardons of more than 100,000 individuals previously convicted of low-level, non-violent marijuana offenses. Illinois is the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana.
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