Ask MRN: What is a cannabis amnesty box, and does Quincy have one?

I recently was in Chicago and boarding a plane at O’Hare when I saw something called a cannabis amnesty box. Does the airport in Quincy have a cannabis amnesty box?

Marijuana became legal in Illinois on Jan. 1, 2020. Airports in Chicago immediately set up “cannabis amnesty boxes” that allowed travelers departing the state to deposit their weed before boarding their flights. 

Federal law makes it illegal to transport cannabis and cannabis products across state lines in an aircraft. It is legal for Illinois residents over age 21 to carry 30 grams (about an ounce) of the plant itself or cannabis concentrate (such as oils) and a half-gram of THC and for out-of-state visitors to have half that much.

USA Today reported in Jan. 2020 that Chicago’s Department of Aviation owns the amnesty boxes at O’Hare. Chicago Police services them.

Sandra Shore, airport director at Quincy Regional Airport, said no cannabis amnesty boxes are currently in use in Quincy.

“They’re there for when you have cannabis that you’ve purchased, either recreationally or for medical reasons, and you can discreetly put it away there,” she said. “No questions asked.

“We are certainly willing to put one in. Given our traffic count, we just don’t have as much need as some of the larger airports might. We’ve heard about them before. Maybe one day.”

She said other commercial service airports across Illinois have them. Airports in 17 other states have them where recreational use of marijuana is allowed.

Wonder who’s in charge of taking care of the items left in the cannabis amnesty boxes?

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