Snoop Dogg is no stranger to touting his love for marijuana, and he’s not pleased that his weed-toking buddy, Willie Nelson was pinched for possessing the green stuff. The Doggfather recently spoke on the country legend’s arrest after border patrol at Sierra Blanca, Texas detained him for possessing six ounces of the sticky icky.

“They better leave Willie the f— alone!” a heated Snoop told TMZ. “Willie Nelson is a legend, man. Really, sometimes you gotta back off certain people and have a certain amount of respect for your elders. Willie Nelson is our elder. He’s somebody who lived through many decades of music and hard times and whatnot and living good and going up and down. So give him that respect.”

The Cali rapper continued his tirade by going after the police officer who put him behind bars. ‘Who’s the motherf—er that arrested him? I want to know who’s the police officer that said ‘You’re under arrest. You’ve got a right to remain silent.’ You dumb motherf–ker, you. You stupid motherf—er you. What you think you going to gain by arresting Willie Nelson? He got out and he back smoking right now!”

Snoop collaborated with his toke buddy on ‘My Medicine,’ a track dedicated to pot that was included on his 2008 album ‘Ego Trippin’.’ He capped his diatribe by cementing his love for Nelson and issuing a warning: “If you got a problem with Willie Nelson, you got a problem with me!”

Source

Photos courtesy of  asylum.com

A Sacramento man who fired a 12 gauge shotgun at a home intruder says he won’t hesitate to use that gun again.

“It’s loaded. All I have to do is cock it and rock it,” said D’Andre Pendarvis.

Pendarvis knows exactly what the home invader, who kicked in the back door of his Oak Park home Monday night, was after, medical marijuana.

In a daring display of defiance, Pendarvis grabbed a recently borrowed shotgun and blasted it loud and clear. His message, “don’t take what’s not yours, including my medical marijuana.”

He called police just before 9:00 p.m. to report the robbery. He said someone, first kicked his door, then kicked it in. The intruder fired two shots from a 9mm gun and Pendarvis fired four shots back.

It doesn’t appear he hit the intruder who took off running. Inside Pendarvis’ home, a bullet blasted through a mirror and a couch. Shards of glass flew across his living room like bullets themselves, piercing his television.

He had just borrowed a shotgun from a friend last week, knowing that marijuana is a hot commodity among crooks. They have said that it is actually green gold. It’s worth almost as much as gold is, ounce for ounce, pound for pound.”

So why put himself at risk by growing plants in his backyard and inside his home? Pendarvis says he uses it to help with insomnia, and admits, what he doesn’t personally use himself, he could possibly sell. He said he’s more fearful of Child Protective Services than the police and that’s why his daughter doesn’t live with him. He said his grow is perfectly legal and so is shooting at someone that you fear is about to hurt you. His message to anyone who comes at him for his pot, “There’s a 12 gauge slug waiting for you.”

Sacramento police say they will likely respond to more of these calls as more people begin to grow pot legally. One officer said, “the odor of pot plants coming from a home or yard, is like a jewelry box sitting right next to a window. “

Police say a Richmond couple bought a three-storey house on a four-hectare property near Clearwater a year ago for the sole purpose of growing marijuana.

Clearwater RCMP officials say they executed a search warrant on the property on Thursday, netting more than 1,300 marijuana plants on site. Police also found 8 kilograms of dried bud.

Police say the rural property, located in a rural area on Clearwater Valley Road, had a three-storey house and small shed, all of which were used to for the grow-op. In addition, police say the couple also built an additional outbuilding to increase production capacity.

The suspects have been released and will appear in court on Dec. 15, police say.

Article via The Vancouver Sun

A disposable drugs test that allows parents to check if their children have been taking cannabis or cocaine by analysing a droplet of saliva has been developed by British scientists.

The handheld device, which resembles a pregnancy testing kit, costs just £1.50 and produces an accurate result within five minutes.Its creators say it could be available within two years.

The Vantix sensor was developed to help police carry out speedy roadside drug-driving tests, but it could just as easily be used by parents who are worried their children are taking drugs.

News of the breakthrough comes just days after the conviction and jailing of singer George Michael for possessing cannabis and drug driving.

Kevin Auton, of Universal Sensors, has admitted that the test would be controversial and could have ‘huge implications for society’.

He said: ‘In America, parents are taking samples of their children’s saliva and hair and sending them off to labs to see if their children are taking drugs. If there is demand for it here, it would be an interesting market.

‘It is controversial but the test can be used in the home for worried parents to test if their children are taking drugs.
‘We are very focused on getting the test out of the laboratory and on to other platforms. It is as simple to use as a pregnancy test.’

The devices are designed to be used at the roadside, in a police station or in the home.

Currently, officers perform ‘field impairment tests’, which look at pupil dilation, balance and coordination.
However, these are not solid proof of illegal driving and police are often reluctant to carry out time consuming blood tests.

The breakthrough means police would be able to identify drugs by taking a swab from a driver’s mouth.
The sensor works by using a disposable 5mm wide chip printed on a piece of plastic.

On the surface of the chip are antibodies that respond to particular chemicals in drugs – such as the THC molecule found in cannabis.

If an antibody on the chip comes into contact with its ‘target’ chemical, a tiny electrical current flows in the chip. The current is amplified by a larger, handheld device which lights up a warning lamp.

The chip can be adapted to detect a range of chemicals – including those only found in drugs or explosives.

Mr Auton added: ‘I’m not sure if parents are ready in this country and the test raises privacy issues.’

Article via Cannabis Culture

420Tribune states that there are ‘Narcotic Checkpoints’ on one of the most trafficked interstates of the United States, I-20. But rather than having the checkpoint on the interstate, they set it up on the first exit ramp ahead of the sign. Now that is some bullshit.

The local sheriff’s office had established the signs as a “ruse” to direct motorists to exit off the highway after viewing the warning of the upcoming DUI/Narcotics checkpoint.  In fact, there was no checkpoint further down I-40.  Instead, the sheriff set up a checkpoint at the end of the ramp of the first exit available to motorists after the posted signs, an exit not frequently used since no services were offered at the exit.

Read more at the source.

A Montana teen looking to buy marijuana tried to text a drug dealer but hit the wrong number and instead hooked up with the county sheriff.

The message:

“Hey Dawg, do you have a $20 I can buy right now?”

The Independent Record of Helena reports that Sheriff Leo Dutton initially suspected a prank, but quickly realized it was the real deal and messaged back: “How much we talking?”

The sheriff then helped set up a meeting with an undercover drug officer who busted the buyer and a teen-age friend.

The newspaper said the teens “turned white and their knees began to wobble” when the detective showed his badge.

The officers decided not to issue a citation, the newspaper says, but instead got the teens’ parents involved.

“Trying to buy drugs is a crime, but it’s probably worse that they had to face their parents,” Dutton tells the paper.

When airport border guards in Cincinnati took a closer look at the tombstone for “Delroy Senior” last week, they found it offered more than kind words for the dearly departed.

More than 50 pounds of marijuana was packed inside the hollowed-out grave marker.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers say the discovery at the Cincinnati DHL express consignment operation is a first for Cincinnati, where they’ve found drugs packed into all sorts of objects but never one quite like this.

Customs spokesman Brian Bell said officers tagged the shipment as suspicious because they couldn’t figure out why anyone would send a tombstone from Jamaica to England, where one could be purchased without the cost of shipping it across the Atlantic. The shipment was on a connecting flight through the Cincinnati/Northern International Airport.

The officers discovered the tombstone was a concrete shell when they X-rayed it, and a drug-sniffing dog alerted when it got close to the stone.

Bell said efforts to find the stone’s sender – or the intended receiver – have failed because everyone involved used fake names and addresses.

“Everything came up as a dead end,” Bell said.

Article via Cincinnati.

A marijuana farm in western Canada has been raided by police, but officers were left shocked when they found bears guarding it.

Around 13 black bears strolled around the fields but police soon realised that they showed no signs of aggressive behaviour and were in fact tame.

They are thought to have been lured into the British Columbian farm by dog food and officers said they might have to be put down if they’ve become used to living around humans, the BBC reported.

Police uncovered two separate outdoor marijuana crops of about 2,300 plants in total.

The five police officers were called to the marijuana plantation, near Christina Lake, to dismantle the farm and arrested two men in the process, while stumbling across the bears.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant Fred Mansvield, said: ‘They (the bears) were tame, they just sat around watching.

‘At one point one of the bears climbed onto the hood of a police car, sat there for a bit and then jumped off.’

Although a search of a vehicle that yielded a backpack full of cash that smelled like marijuana was ruled invalid, the money was never returned to the vehicle’s occupants.

In June the appellate division of the state Superior Court ruled the search was invalid but many readers — including John Paff, who is chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Party’s Open Government Advocacy Project — were curious as to what happened to the smelly money.

It was divided between the agencies involved in the case. The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office got $25,197.60, the Readington Police Department $37,796.40 and the state kept the remaining $41,906.

Ricardo Webb and Brian Bennett of Georgia were arrested on May 5, 2005. According to police, at 2:26 a.m. a motorist called to tell them that a white Chevy Yukon with New York plates had been driving erratically on Route 202 before turning onto Old York Road near the Branchburg/Readington township line.

Patrolman Joe Greco spotted the SUV turning onto Pleasant Run Road and pulled it over after having to go 60 mph in a 25 mph zone. Greco reported that he searched the vehicle after smelling a “strong odor of raw marijuana” and found a black backpack with more than $100,000 stuffed inside.

Webb, who was also charged with careless driving, and Bennett, both denied owning the backpack.

A K-9 unit from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office sniffed the Yukon for drugs. According to police, the drug dog “hit” on the bag of money, but no drugs were found. Webb’s defense attorney filed a motion to suppress the evidence because it was found without a warrant. The motion was granted, but the prosecutor appealed.

The appellate judges on June 17 affirmed the lower court’s decision. According to a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, the matter is under consideration for a possible appeal to the state Supreme Court.

As for the money, the attorney general filed a suit in Superior Court in Flemington seeking forfeiture shortly after Webb and Bennett were indicted on two counts of second-degree money laundering and conspiracy.

According to court documents obtained by Paff, the two men did not contest the forfeiture so the court granted the petition.

Very interesting video, watch it until the end.

I’m sure many of you have seen this before, but either way, watch it again. It’s hilarious. (Sadly, the cameraman is having a heart attack, but the video is still awesome.)

Continue reading for the video.

"That's a Lot of Pot" (CBS/WBZ)

Wouldn’t it be great to have a ton of pot (literally)? High Times reports on a police investigation:

“Police found 2,000 pounds of pot in a Boston-area apartment earlier this week. Prosecutors are calling the ton of cannabis “the single largest seizure of marijuana in Boston’s recent memory.”

However, despite the 40 plastic wrapped packages stacked to the ceiling of a third floor apartment, Edgar Gonzalez, the man accused of possessing all the pot, claims he had no idea it was there.

Police originally came to the building to execute an unrelated search warrant. However, when Gonzalez saw the officers, he ran. After being caught, Gonzalez explained to the police that he ran because “he thought they were looking for him.”

This aroused officers’ suspicion and a search warrant for Gonzalez’s apartment was obtained. Inside, cops found the stash with an estimated street value of $4 million.

More @ cbsnews.com“

Montana Therapeutics gives marijuana to about 50 people. Monday's firebombing caused about $2,500 in damage but no injuries. (Larry Mayer/billings Gazette Via Associated Press)

The incidents come as the Billings City Council is scheduled to vote Monday night on a six-month moratorium on approving additional marijuana businesses.

A rock was used to break the glass of Montana Therapeutics at 4:30 a.m. Monday, and a beer bottle filled with gasoline was lighted and thrown inside, according to Sgt. Kevin Iffland of the Billings police. A passerby reported the fire.

Fire crews quickly put out the small blaze, Deputy Fire Marshal Trevor Schilling said.

About 5 a.m. a day earlier, surveillance video showed two young men spray-painting “NOT IN OUR TOWN” on the front of Big Sky Patient Care and throwing a rock through the front door followed by a flaming bottle, Big Sky owner David Couch said.

Nobody was injured in either instance.

Trevor McFarren, co-owner of Montana Therapeutics, said his business provides marijuana for about 50 people and has never had a problem, a complaint or even a bad phone call since opening in January, he said.

McFarren said he believes that Monday’s council vote is linked to the attack, which he said caused about $2,500 in damage.

“I’m sure they’re trying to fuel the fire about” the vote, he said. “It’s more of an attack on the community than anything.” Couch also said he has not had any complaints since his business opened in April. He declined to say how many patients Big Sky has.

“If anything good comes out of this, it will probably be a desire for more education in the general public,” he said.

Police have no suspects, Iffland said. Surveillance video may have captured what happened, but the building’s owners do not want to release the video to police until they speak to their attorney, Iffland said.

Detectives were investigating whether the acts were committed by those who oppose such businesses or by business rivals, Iffland said.

Montana is different from other states in that it has no marijuana dispensaries for patients. Instead, each patient is required to designate a caregiver who provides the pot.

The growth has exposed holes in the state medical-use marijuana law that was passed by ballot initiative in 2004, and the state legislature is hearing recommendations on changes from law enforcement, cities, schools and patients who use marijuana.

Meanwhile, Montana’s cities and towns are testing different ways to deal with commercial growers. Some have banned them from within the city limits; others are seeking ways to regulate them like other businesses. Several cities have imposed temporary moratoriums on new businesses while they figure out a permanent solution.

Billings has issued more than 80 business licenses for stores selling marijuana for medical purposes. The council will decide Monday night whether to put a six-month ban on additional stores within city limits and whether to close those that are within 1,000 feet of a school or a park.

Tom Daubert, an advocate for medical marijuana use who led the initiative campaign in 2004, condemned the attacks but also said some of the businesses need to act with more dignity.

Daubert said Montanans never voted for marijuana storefronts that advertise or commercial production centers in residential neighborhoods.

“The law needs to be modernized, with regulation and oversight designed to prevent some of the undignified and unprofessional behavior we are seeing,” he said.

[Written by Washington Post]

Six Willie Nelson band members are being faced with charges for illegal possession of marijuana and moonshine for an incident at a Kenansville show last January, reports the AP.

District Attorney Dewey Hudson states that the musicians “are not above the law,” and that the massive amount of fans asking for the band to be given a free pass are in vain.

While Hudson says that he must uphold the law, he personally would consider the legalization of marijuana, reports Lindell Kay of ENC Today.

“A lot of experts believe alcohol does much more damage to individuals and society, and it is legal,” he said Friday. “I can see it both ways and understand the arguments.”

Charges against guitarist Dan Spears and five others are still pending, said Hudson at a Friday press conference. The substances have not been verified as marijuana as of yet, though the alcohol was most definitely non-tax-paid and home-made.

The ALE bust occurred Jan. 28 outside of the Duplin County Events Center in the musicians’ bus. Nelson himself had not been there and canceled the show, claiming according to Kay, that his “hand was hurting.” Disappointed fans suspect this was a fabrication and really due to the investigation of the band.

The six band members are scheduled to appear in court April 21.

Patti Sapone/The Star-LedgerThose charged in the $10 million marijuana bust include (top row from left) Minh Bui, Ngoc Bui, Tuan Dang, (bottom row from left) Nhung Thach, Quynh Bui, and Thu Nguyen. Residents living near homes police said were used to grow marijuana were shocked their neighborhoods were launching pads for a $10 million drug operation.

Last month, police found 3,370 growing pot plants in five rented homes in Monroe, Old Bridge, Millstone, Manahawkin and Manalapan. Money and packaging materials were found in a sixth home, also in Old Bridge.

Authorities said the sophisticated indoor growing scheme operated undetected for two years. Three people have been arrested so far, while another three are on the run.

“This is a network of individuals who have extensive knowledge of the method of mass producing marijuana plants indoors,” Attorney General Paula Dow said. “They selected large houses, frequently in pretty upscale neighborhoods, where the properties are widely spaced and they were not likely to garner direct attention.”

A two-story lavender house on 535 Beach Ave. in Manahawkin fit that description. It was down the road from a high school, located a quarter mile back from the road in a heavily wooded area. Police say the found 464 plants there.

Next-door neighbor Edna Collins said she never knew something illegal was going on until she saw a dozen police SUVs up and down the street.

“How would you know?” she said. “You would never see anything.”

Another 504 plants were found in another two-story home with a three-car garage at 38 Robbins Road in Millstone.

Steven Schiffman lives four doors away from the Millstone home but never saw anybody who rented the property.

“The only reason I knew anyone lived there was because the lawn was mowed and when we had the snow storm the driveway was cleared,” he said.

Schiffman said he wasn’t surprised the drug operation went unnoticed.

“Living here on this block I barely know my neighbors on each side,” he said. “We don’t have block parties or anything like that, so I’d be shocked if anyone else knew about this either.”

In Old Bridge, a neighbor was stunned to hear of the police investigation that found $60,000 cash and drug packaging materials in a beige two-story home at 187 Hidden Ct.

“I’m shocked,” said Samuel Manigault, who lives next door. “I never would have thought that.”

Police said they found 640 pot plants in another home in Old Bridge, at 47 Westley Rd. Many of the new homes on the dead-end street feature basketball hoops or children’s’ toys in front yards.

Only one person was ever seen in the alleged grow house, said neighbor Sofia Stavros, who lives two doors away on the dead end street.

“I’m just glad he’s gone,” she said. “It’s scary living next to this.”

A brick house at 15 Stayman Ct. in Manalapan was also used to grow marijuana, police said, and 698 plants were found there. Neighbors said they have seen a man and a woman drive up to the house and enter the garage, but almost never saw them outside.

Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington, D.C., said outdoor farms still produce the bulk of marijuana grown in the United States, but said indoor cultivation has become more popular.

Payne said indoor growing allows drug dealers to grow marijuana year round because weather is not a factor. In addition, plummeting real estate values in places like Florida and California have made it easier for criminals to obtain homes, he said.

“These criminal groups will buy or rent a house on a middle class, quiet street,” he said. “They’ll draw their blinds so no one knows what’s going on inside.”

At least one person had their suspicions, though.

Patti Sapone/The Star-LedgerThe Spotswood-Englishtown Road home in Monroe where a police officer accidentally stumbled into the operation because he smelled marijuana burning from a chimney. Jen Moody lives next door to the house at 558 Spotswood-Englishtown Rd where police said they uncovered the largest growing operation, with 1,064 plants. Although she didn’t think anybody lived there, her husband would see cars come and go in the middle of the night, making him suspicious, Moody said.

“He would poke his head out, trying to see what was going on,” she said.

Tom Haydon, Tiffani Garlic, Maryann Spoto and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

Source

Smith County (East Texas) judges and juries have long had a reputation of meting out severe, some might say ridiculous, punishment for drug convictions. And Henry Wooten’s case is no exception: the 54-year-old Tyler man was sentenced Thursday to 35 years in prison for possessing slightly more than four ounces of pot. Wooten actually got off easy — the prosecutor asked the jury to give him 99 years. (We just hope TDCJ can free up room for this menace to society; maybe the state can release a child molester or serial arsonist to find a cell for Wooten.)

While the sentence may be asinine, we can’t help but feel Wooten brought much of this upon himself — mostly by choosing to be both a pothead and live in Tyler, when clearly that calls for an either/or scenario. But Wooten could have taken at least a few steps to minimize his chances of being busted so easily, and Hair Balls would like to lay out a few of these so that other lovers of the weed in Smith County can take heed.

1.) Don’t smoke weed within 1,000 feet of a day care: According to the Tyler Morning Telegraph, “Tyler police officers were alerted to Wooten’s location because of the smell of the marijuana.”

Wooten was puffing near the Ebenezer Day Care Center, in what is known as a “drug-free zone.” People in Smith County don’t like that. So if you’re driving along and you get a sudden urge to light up, take note of your surroundings: if you see lots of parents walking children into a building and then leaving without those children, you might be parked near a school or a day care. Do not, under any circumstances, pack your bowl there. Just go to the nearest liquor store, and you can bet you’ll be outside a drug-free zone. Enjoy!

2.) Don’t let people see you pull a bunch of baggies out of your pocket: Per the same article, Smith County Assistant District Attorney Richard Vance told the jury ”Wooten pulled bag after bag from his pockets like one of those clowns you see…” (see Rule No. 3 for the rest of Vance’s quote)

3.) Don’t leave gear in plain sight in your care: ”…and in the driver’s seat of his car was a big bag and digital scales.”

4.) Don’t demand that a private lab test your weed: Although Wooten was perfectly within his rights when he asked a local lab to analyze his weed, we’re guessing he probably annoyed the judge and the prosecutor, and in turn the jury, by this petulant ploy. It’s pretty hard to mistake weed for anything other than weed. Did Wooten think the lab might screw up and report that the sticky green matter in the baggies was in fact spaghetti? Seriously, how fucking high was this guy?

We’re not saying these are get-out-of-jail-free cards, but they’re generally good rules of thumb. If you live in Tyler and you smoke weed, you might want to print this out and keep it in your pocket for future reference.

(Oh, and don’t have two prior convictions on your record. Or, if you do, don’t go doing what this guy did.)

Police have seized $270,000 worth of high grade cannabis from across Auckland during the execution of eight search warrants.

Plants and dried leaves, already packaged for sale, were seized from buildings and private addresses in Te Atatu South, Waitakere, Henderson, Green Bay and Manukau, along with $10,000 in cash.

Eight men – aged between 27 and 65 – will appear in the Auckland, Henderson and Manukau District Courts on Wednesday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark McHattie says over the next week the men will face a range of charges including possession, possession for supply and cultivation of cannabis.

He says the crackdown was the culmination of two months of investigations.

Officer in charge Detective Senior Sergeant Mark McHattie said that about 30 police staff were involved in yesterday’s operation which is part of ongoing pressure on organized crime and criminal activity in the region.

via TVNZ

Written by sinsemillaplease.

This guide is intended to inform you of your constitutional rights while in the presence of law enforcement officers (LEOs) while on foot, behind the wheel, as a passenger and in your residence. The information I have provided is based on my knowledge of the constitution and case law (I’m pre-law), information provided by Norml and flexyourrights.org, local conferences on racial profiling, and a fair share of common sense. The laws cited here apply in the United States. Though many of the tips offered here are helpful in any LEO encounter, some of the protections against search do not apply to citizens of other countries.

You should know that some officers of the law will undoubtedly take offense to your knowledge and recitation of your rights but this does not give them reasonable suspicion or probable cause for detainment, arrest or search as I will define them later. Feel free to post additional advice so long as you can support it with the necessary case law or something else verifiable.

TYPES OF POLICE ENCOUNTERS:

Friendly Conversation or Otherwise Consensual, Casual Encounters
A law enforcement officer could at any time initiate a casual conversation with you. This could be in the form of a “Hi. How are you doing today? What are you up to?” or “Hey where you headed buddy?” or “Nice weather today huh?” etc. Definitively, a casual encounter is any time you speak to police with the freedom to terminate the encounter at your leisure. When engaged in a casual encounter you are not obligated to speak to the officer at all. You may refuse to provide a name or even refuse to open your mouth altogether. In most casual encounters it is wholly uneccesary to be this tight-lipped unless you have reason to believe that providing them with information could be detrimental to your freedom (ie you have high priority warrants or are on a name basis with cops as a wanted fugitive, etc). At any point in conversation you may leave without another word. If you are unsure of what type of situation you are in ask, “Am I free to go or are you detaining me?” If the officer does not have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity he cannot prevent you from leaving. The odor of marijuana does in fact constitute reasonable suspicion and probable cause if and only if the officer is trained in determing the length of time a residual odor of marijuana has been present.

Detainment
If a LEO has reasonable suspicion that you have, are engaged in, or are about to engage in criminal activity they may detain you. A hunch does not constitue said suspicion and specific, articulable facts must be observed. This encounter is commonly known as a Terry stop based on the Supreme Court ruling in Terry v. Ohio. During detainment a LEO will ask you to identify yourself. In most cases you are required to do so and a verbal statement of your name suffices to satisfy the Stop and Identify statute. While refusing to provide a name does not constitue probable cause for a search or arrest it can constitute a crime in and of itself which could get you arrested anyway. Unless you have previously confirmed knowledge of a local statute that allows you to legally refuse, provide your name when requested. The 5th and 6th amendments allow you to refuse all other questions when not in the presence of an attorney. Pursuant to detainment, LEOs have the right to frisk your outer garments from head to toe for weapons, but not for drugs or paraphernalia. Detainment must be brief according to Terry v. Ohio so after a time ask, “Am I free to leave?”

Arrest
A LEO must have probable cause to believe that you have committed a crime to arrest you. Under arrest LEOs are legally entitled to a warrantless search of you, anything you’re carrying and your immediate surroundings. An arresting officer is required to inform you of your Miranda rights, namely the right to remain silent, the right to have an attorney present and provided at the state’s expense, and that anything you say is admissible in court. If you are not read your rights nothing you say is admissible as evidence. Biographical booking information is exempt from Miranda protection and must be offered subsequent to arrest. Keep your mouth shut and call an attorney.

LEO INTERACTION GUIDE WHEN YOU ARE…

On Foot
If ever you encounter a LEO on foot while you are minding your own business, you are not required by any statute to even entertain their presence. If they say anything to you, you are not required to respond in any fashion. Minding your own business assumes that you are not creating reasonable suspicion of a crime.

Items or behaviors that could constitue suspicion, alone or collectively:
(Not All-Inclusive)

- Odor of marijuana localized to the person or belongings
- Disorderly Conduct
- Visible Inebriation (Swerving, Heavily slurred speech, etc.)
- Paraphernalia or illegal contraband in sight
- Presence in public park or private (w/o permission) after hours
- Excessive Noise
- Evasive Conduct
- Rapid concealment of items
- Visible bulge at the waist or hand gesture to check for weapon
- Breaking curfew (if underage)

LEOs may not take kindly to being ignored so use your best judgment to exit the situation as quickly as possible without evading. Don’t forget, “Excuse me sir. Am I free to leave?” There is no law requiring you to carry identification on foot so you are also not required to provide it in a casual encounter. Be polite, respectful and calm and you will likely be left alone.

If asked, do not consent to any search. Refusing a search is protected by the 4th Amendment. As a rule, if a LEO has to ask, they do not have a warrant or probable cause to search you or your possessions. That being said, keep any illegal paraphernalia or contraband out of sight as police do not need a warrant or cause to seize illegal items that are in plain view. Also, do not attempt to destroy evidence. This would constitue an exigent circumstance under which a LEO could conduct a warrantless search. As always, don’t answer any questions without an attorney present unless you are fully aware of your innocence and of sound mind to navigate the conversation without incrimination.

Behind the Wheel
(See bottom for an in-depth guide to smoking in your car)
The requirements while driving are quite a bit different than what is required of pedestrians. To pull you over, a LEO must have reasonable suspicion as defined under Terry or you must have committed a traffic violation. You must provide a state-issued Driver’s License, vehicle registration and proof of insurance. You are not required to answer any other questions, but to a point, cooperation can make for a friendlier encounter. Use judgement in determining which questions may harmlessly appease the cop and which may serve to incriminate you. Do not confess to any wrongdoing. You may be asked to step out of your vehicle by the LEO. Refusal is not an option but ask, “Am I free to leave?” to ensure that you are actually being detained.

Here is an outline of appropriate behavior following a traffic stop:
1. Make no visible attempts to conceal evidence unless you can do so surreptitiously (w/o being noticed).
2. Pull over fully providing the officer with enough room to safely approach the vehicle. Turn off the car but leave the ignition set to accesory as to allow raising of the windows.
3. Do not reach for license or registration until told to do so. Do not store anything illegal near or with your license or registration. Turn down music.
4. Roll up all windows leaving the driver window open only enough to permit conversation.
5. Do not answer any questions, especially incriminating ones, except to invoke your 4th, 5th and 6th Amendment rights.
6. If asked to step out of the vehicle roll up your window and lock the door on the way out. Pocket your keys.
7. Remain calm and never physically resist.
8. Do not consent to any searches and do not confess to any wrongdoing.
9. Ask if you are free to leave.

LEOs with few options left to bust you will often threaten to bring in the K-9 unit. Do not fear these claims. If you are not being detained you are free to leave long before any K-9 unit could get to the scene. If you are being detained still refuse to consent to the search.

A Passenger
The law is a little vague in regards to what is required of passengers in motor vehicles. To be safe and avoid further harassment, provide only a verbal statement of your name if asked. You are not required to carry ID so do not provide any. Refuse to answer any other questions and verbally invoke your 6th amendment right to an attorney before questioning in a polite and respectful manner. If not addressed by the LEO, keep your mouth shut and your hands still. It is important to note that in many states the arrest of a passenger gives a LEO the right to search the areas of the vehicle that are or were immediately available to the passenger, including the glovebox for front seat passengers.

In Your Residence
Your residence is the area most well protected from search and seizure under the 4th Amendment. If a LEO knocks at your door ask from a nearby window how you may be of assistance to the officer. Do not leave your property during the encounter. It provides you with many protections. If no window is present, step outside to speak to the officer and close the door behind you. Be sure to conceal anything illegal before opening the door. The plain sight rule always applies. A LEO is not permitted to enter your home without a warrant unless there are exigent circumstances (evidence of risk of physical harm to occupants, etc.) Remain calm and respectfully invoke your 4th Amendment rights against search if the officer requests to enter. Be as cooperative as necessary without incrimination. If the officer asks you to simply quiet down agree to do so. Do not confess to any wrongdoing. Do not fear a threat of a warrant if one is not present. Warrants require probable cause and if you’ve followed these guidelines you shouldn’t have provided them with any.

IN THE EVENT OF A LEGAL SEARCH WITH WARRANT:
1. Do not consent to the search but do not resist. There is always the possibility that the warrant is invalid but if you consent they don’t need it anyway.
2. Do not provide assistance in locating anything. They cannot use this against you and there is always the possibility that they will not find anything they are looking for. (A warrant was served on my dorm and the cops left me a bowl in my backpack.)
3. Shut up.
4. Call an attorney.

IN REGARDS TO SNITCHING:
1. In most cases it won’t help.
2. If you’re not yet awake and you haven’t smelled the coffee… We are living in a police state. Look at Professor Gates’ case, look at the EMT who got pulled over and assualted by two Oklahoma state troopers, look at Shem Walker who got shot and killed by an undercover cop who was sitting on his stoop and refused to leave when instructed because he was wearing headphones and listening to a buy bust operation, look at David Mayo who was convicted after the cops secured a search warrant to his home based on a purchase invoice for grow lights that the cops never even had and never showed to the warrant-granting judge… the list goes on and on.

I hate that we have to be adversaries of those who we pay to protect and serve but that’s the way it is. Our founding fathers formed the constitution to prohibit federal police but now we have the FBI, DEA, ATF, and Secret Service. We’ve slowly allowed police forces to take control of our rights and we haven’t put in the proper checks and balances to keep them from becoming a bureaucratic, tyrannical force wrought with corruption. It is our supreme duty as citizens to stand up for our rights and the rights of others who police wish to destroy. Even dangerous drug dealers have rights and if they have theirs trampled its one step closer to complete loss of rights for all.

ITEMS TO KEEP ON YOUR PERSON TO AVOID CREATING REASONABLE SUSPICION:
- Rhoto V eyedrops (They work the best. Do not use as a LEO approaches you.)
- Febreze, Cologne or some form of odor neutralizer (Apply lightly and in advance of an LEO encounter.)
- Backpack (To conceal any item too large for your pockets.)

LOCATIONS WHERE ENTRANCE CONSTITUTES PROBABLE CAUSE TO SEARCH:
- Airports
- International Borders
- Concerts
- Sports Arenas
- Private Property

Here’s a link to the NORML Freedom Card (A pocket-sized reference containing your rights when confronted by a LEO.

SMOKING CANNABIS IN YOUR CAR
This is one my favorite pastimes and also one of the things I am most paranoid about. We all know smoking produces a fairly potent scent that tends to linger, especially within the closed confines of an automobile. There are several things you can do to keep your in-car smoking session from becoming a police encounter. I will also offer tips as to what you can do if you encounter police despite your best efforts at avoiding them. This will be the most hypocritical of all advice I ever give on GC so prepare yourself… and please refrain from reminding me of how big a hypocrite I am. In my opinion, being a hypocrite makes me just like everybody else.

Do not smoke before or while driving.

As the driver of a motor vehicle, your foremost responsibility is to maintain control of the vehicle for your own sake as well as the safety of any passengers and other drivers on the road. Everything else takes a backseat to safety… PUN! Though cannabis is not as detrimental an intoxicant as alcohol, it is proven to slow reaction time. In a sticky situation, a split second delay in reaction could be fatal. Though many studies have shown that cannabis-intoxicated drivers are more risk-aversive and obey posted limits more often that those who aren’t intoxicated, “high driving” can still have serious negative consequences. That being said, I wrote this and I do it all the time anyway. If you’re going to ignore this advice make sure you fully understand the potential consequences, as I do.

If you’ve been smoking in your car your windows should be all the way down and your a/c fans should be all the way up (a/c cooling off). This allows for full circulation of air through your cabin and the a/c vents. If you have dank, smelly bud keep it in a closed container (not a bag) and store it in a closed off area (trunk is best, locked glovebox is second). Pine tree car fresheners are always a good idea, especially the royal pine variety. They mask the smell of weed like nobody’s business. Do not create reasonable suspicion or violate traffic law to merit a Terry stop. This means you should never be smoking in a car with any physical deficiencies such as broken/blown out lights, old tags, rusted plates, missing mirrors, etc. If you do it anyways you’re asking for trouble and may the cannabis gods be with you. Obey all laws to the letter.

If you are stopped anyway, consult the traffic stop section of this guide. Do not forget to ask why you were stopped. Repeat after me, “Sir why did you pull me over?” Without reasonable suspicion of a crime or violation of a traffic law, detaining you for any period of time is unconstitutional and grounds to have any subsequent arrest or search thrown out in court.

Do not spray air freshener. It is already too late for that and it could serve as a part of reasonable suspicion, though by itself it is innocuous. Be sure nothing illegal is in plain view and leave only your driver window down and only enough to speak to the LEO. Do not give him enough room to stick his nose in your car. If the LEO insists that he smells burnt marijuana, deny his claim and refuse the search if he requests. He may decide that the smell is reasonable suspicion and decide to detain you and in limited circumstances may tell you that he is calling in the dogs. Do not be afraid and still do not consent to a search. Offering consent waives your 4th amendment protection against unlawful search and you are then at the mercy of the LEO. If you refuse to consent you always have the opportunity to argue in court that the search was unconstitutional and if you forward your complaint to your local ACLU branch there is a good chance they will weigh in on the matter in some form. The political clout of the ACLU has a tendency to sway judges to behave themselves on the bench.

Unfortunately 420Skunk420, there is no precedent for calling in extraneous witnesses to the scene to verify or negate claims that the odor of marijuana is present. That being said, its definitely worth a try. If it ever happens to you call your most reputable friend to the scene as soon as you get a chance. As long as they don’t obstruct justice they can be at the scene and get video evidence of everything as well. The presence of witnesses has a chilling effect on police misconduct, especially when video cameras are involved.

The odor of marijuana does constitute probable cause to search your vehicle without a warrant. Marijuana found in a vehicle after a warrantless search cannot be used to bolster an LEOs claim of probable cause. In other words, the fact that you did have marijuana does not in any way justify the search in the eyes of the law. Many defense attorneys have successfully quashed evidence from such warrantless searches when the LEO was not specifically trained to determine how long the odor lingers in a vehicle after being present or how to distinguish between those who possessed/smoked marijuana and those who were merely present at the time. Most LEOs do not receive such training, therefore you should always encourage defense attorneys to make this argument. Here is a bit of scientific research that could be useful for such a defense strategy.

Drugged driving laws vary widely from state to state. For example, in Michigan (Where I live) I have been drugged driving every day for almost three years straight. If I have any detectable level of THC metabolites in my body, I am drugged driving according to the law. It doesn’t matter that THC metabolites are not psychoactive. Make an effort to know your local ordinances and state laws regarding drugged driving.

Finally…

NEVER hotbox a moving vehicle. This is possibly the dumbest choice you could ever make while smoking in a car. The odor of marijuana will permeate your clothes, your upholstery, and your skin. You cannot hotbox a car and not come out smelling like a garden in full bloom. If you want to hotbox do it while safely parked on your own property.

Note: I know the fact that weed odor constitutes probable cause is very scary. The only time I was ever pulled over, I was currently smoking a joint of the most potent-smelling weed I have ever encountered, Cat Piss. The windows down method saved my life. The trooper never even hinted at smelling marijuana at all. Do not give the odor a chance to build up and stick to surfaces in your car and you will be forever grateful that you didn’t… Trust me.

Thank you for reading and have a good, LEO-free day!

Guide via Grasscity.