Law enforcement needs more than the smell of burnt cannabis to search vehicles, the Illinois Supreme Court said in a unanimous decision on Sept. 19.
“Based on our precedent and the state of cannabis laws at the time of the search, we hold that the odor of burnt cannabis is a fact that should be considered when determining whether police have probable cause to search a vehicle, but the odor of burnt cannabis, standing alone without other inculpatory facts, does not provide probable cause to search a vehicle,” Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville wrote in the 20-page ruling.
