Georgia Bill Would Limit Police Searches Based on Cannabis Odor 

A bill in Georgia seeks to limit probable cause searches by law enforcement based on the odor of cannabis, News Channel 9 reports. State Rep. Akbar Ali (D), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told News Channel 9 that the bill would protect against unreasonable searches in the state, as hemp, which is legal in Georgia, smells similarly to THC-rich cannabis.    

“It makes it so that in order for a search to happen, or for something in trial to be there, that you need something a little bit more concrete and objective evidence, as opposed to just subjective evidence. So oftentimes what happens is that under the current law, you lead to arrests that are unnecessary or searches that are unnecessary. … That is a completely different animal to hemp products being legal and marijuana not and those products having an instantiable odor. We can’t be comparing apples to oranges here.” — Ali to News Channel 9 

State Rep. Brian Strickland (R) opposes the proposal because officers’ senses are an important tool for law enforcement. 

“A lot of times,” Strickland told News Channel 9, “the only way an officer can know that something illegal may be going on is based on using their senses.” 

The bill is currently in the House but has not been assigned to a committee.