Travelers caught with weed in Chicago airports won’t be busted, police say

Domestic travelers caught with weed in Chicago airports won’t be busted after Jan. 1, Chicago police say.

Even though marijuana will still be illegal under federal law — and it’s illegal to carry across state lines — authorities have no intention of arresting people caught with the drug at Chicago airports, officials said Friday.

That’s because the federal Transportation Security Administration, which screens all passengers getting on planes, says it will defer to police if they find someone carrying pot.

“Our officers are not looking for cannabis as they go through their normal security [check]. But should they come across it, we are going to contact the Chicago Police Department to make a final determination on the disposition,” TSA deputy federal security director Louis Traverz said at the news conference.

And Chicago police, while advising against traveling with the drug, say they won’t arrest you if you aren’t carrying more than what’s allowed under the new law. Starting Jan. 1, adults 21 or older in Illinois can possess up to 30 grams of cannabis flower, 500 mg of THC in a cannabis-infused product and 5 grams of cannabis concentrate. Half those amounts are allowed for non-residents. [Read more at Chicago Sun Times]