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Cannabis no longer being seized at NY airports

Jul 20, 2021 5:45 am

Brendan J. Lyons is reporting for the Times Union police are no longer seizing cannabis, making arrests or issuing tickets for low-level possession for travelers passing through Albany International and other airports in New York. New York legalized the possession of up to three ounces of cannabis in March. Bart R. Johnson, a former State Police colonel and currently the federal security director for 15 upstate airports including Albany International said cannabis is not something that security officers are looking for when they pat down passengers or search their luggage for contraband. "...We just look for threats — explosives, knives, guns; we don’t look for illegally possessed narcotics," said Johnson. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said deputies are sometimes called to the security checkpoint by Transportation Security Administration officials when they find marijuana on a traveler or in their luggage. The sheriff said they no longer issue tickets or make an arrest if the amount of marijuana appears to be less than three ounces. The TSA is required by federal law to notify law enforcement when they discover what they believe to be an illegal substance. But while marijuana is still considered illegal under federal law, the TSA is not a law enforcement agency. Read the full story in the Times Union.