NJ marijuana legalization: Would legal weed bill stop cops from searching based on smell?
"They have a golden ticket for a free search of your car," Lomurro said. "The smell of marijuana has been used as a tool to support police investigation for a long time."
That would change under the New Jersey marijuana legalization bill pending in the Legislature. In addition to legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana possession and use for recreational purposes, the bill would officially remove the smell of marijuana — or sight, in most cases — as probable cause for police to search a vehicle.