Michigan Cops Can’t Search Cars Solely on Marijuana Smell

Michigan police can no longer conduct warrantless car searches based solely on the smell of marijuana, the state Supreme Court ruled.

Since voters in the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2018, “the smell of marijuana might just as likely indicate that the person is in possession of a legal amount of marijuana, recently used marijuana legally, or was simply in the presence of someone else who used marijuana,” the court said Wednesday in a 5-1 ruling.

Police can still rely on the smell, but they must also have additional reasons to conduct a search, Justice Megan K. Cavanagh wrote in ...