March 06--TAMPA -- If Florida voters approve medical marijuana usage in a November vote, Tampa International Airport could face issues ranging from budgeting and designing new smoking areas to legal challenges from airport patrons, an airport board member said Thursday.
"I'm not advocating this at all," Hillsborough County Aviation Authority board member and County Commissioner Victor Crist said Thursday. "It's not like we need a head shop at the airport. I'm just looking at the 'what-ifs.' "
Airports in Colorado and Washington, where recreational marijuana was approved last year, have encountered myriad issues complicated by the fact the federal government, which operates security at airports, does not consider marijuana legal even in states that have approved it.
Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, further complicating legal and security issues at public facilities including airports.
"Our legal staff will monitor the issue as it evolves," said Janet Zink, Tampa International assistant vice president of media and government affairs.
Unlike most airports nationwide, Tampa International provides smoking areas within the secure areas of the airsides and at an outdoor area within the main terminal. But if Florida legalizes medical marijuana, those smokers might require separate areas.
In an unrelated issue, airport officials are planning to redevelop the terminal concession programs, adding 33 percent more square footage to the airsides, with expectations annual revenue will increase 46 percent by 2017 to more than $120 million annually.
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