A Missouri legislator has filed a pre-filed bill for 2024 that will prevent police from using only the smell of pot as a basis to search a vehicle or property without a warrant.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ian Mackey, would build on the voter-approved legalization of cannabis in Maryland and New Jersey, reforming laws enforcement policies to a manner that mirrors other jurisdictions.
Mackey submitted an earlier version of this bill in 2021 but it failed to advance from committee.
The measure on one page states that “the smell of marijuana by itself shall not be sufficient to provide an officer of law enforcement with probable cause for a warrantless inspection of a vehicle, home or other private property.”
The restriction was imposed by several legal cannabis states, including Maryland. There, the governor passed legislation last year prohibiting warrantless vehicle searches that are based solely on the odor of marijuana . New Jersey’s Supreme Court has recently upheld similar laws in a case that involved an improper search.
In Missouri, the implementation a law that was approved by voters in 2022 has led to the expungement from court records of more than 100,000 marijuana-related cases.
In November, marijuana in Missouri sales passed the $1 billion mark by 2023. This includes both medical and adult-use marijuana.
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Missouri’s marijuana industry has been undergoing significant turmoil in the past year. Tens of thousands of products were recalled due to the alleged illegal use of hemp derived cannabinoids imported from outside of the state. In November, officials moved to revoke the license of Delta Extraction. The company at the heart of the controversy.
The incident has put state marijuana regulators in a bind regarding the practices at product testing laboratories. They had been under fire for earlier this year over alleged “lab shopping”, as producers sought to increase THC potency .
A union and another company, Retailer Point Management in Columbia (which operates as Shangri-La) recently resolved a dispute over 15 allegations of unfair labor practices. This is part of larger push by cannabis workers to organize the industry.
In November, legislators said that the state’s marijuana regulatory had overstepped their powers when they set new rules for product branding and packaging intended to limit appeal to kids.
Businesses have also filed a suit recently challenging the “stacked tax” on local and county taxes , which they claim is unconstitutional.
Two Missouri Republicans filed a pair bills last month to legalize medical use of psilocybin, and to require clinical trials that explore the therapeutic potential.
Washington Bill Rolls Back New Marijuana Related Employment Protections for Drug Treatment Professionals
The article Missouri Police Can’t Use Marijuana Odor as Basis for Vehicle or Property Searches under New Bill first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
