Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Question: Now that marijuana is legal in Virginia, can I travel with it on airplanes?
Answer: No one is going to tell you it's OK to bring weed on airplanes, but almost no one is getting in trouble for doing it at RIC.
State of play: Possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana in public is legal in Virginia, but the drug remains federally illegal and the people searching your bags — the TSA — are part of a federal agency.
- That's not to mention the fact that depending on where you're flying, weed might still be illegal there.
Between the lines: TSA has said in repeated public statements that agents are searching for weapons, not drugs. But when they find drugs, they refer the matter to local police.
- At Richmond International Airport, that would be the Richmond Airport Police, who enforce state — not federal — law.
- "Lawful possession of marijuana does not elicit a police response," airport spokesperson Troy Bell tells Axios.
Since marijuana became legal over a year ago, airport police have issued exactly one citation, Bell tells Axios.
- The traveler was under 21, and state law prohibits possession by minors.
- They received a $25 fine.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Richmond.
More Richmond stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Richmond.