PA: In a MMJ state, the smell of MJ can still be PC

“Over the past several years, nearly half of our Sister States and this Commonwealth have legalized medical marijuana. Some States have also repealed their prohibitions against recreational use; Pennsylvania has not. [¶] In this appeal, John Batista makes the novel argument that, because marijuana is now medically available in Pennsylvania, police officers may no longer rely upon its smell as a factor for developing probable cause. Like the trial court, we reject this theory. In certain instances, the smell of marijuana may still indicate that a crime is afoot, because the growth, distribution, possession, and use of marijuana without a state-issued permit remains illegal. Thus, the magistrate had a substantial basis to issue a search warrant for Batista’s garage, and we affirm the order denying suppression.” E.g., the smell of a grow operation is probable cause unless it’s licensed. Commonwealth v. Batista, 2019 PA Super 291 (Sept. 27, 2019).

In other news: USA Today: Pennsylvania governor calls for legalization of recreational marijuana (Sept. 25, 2019).