New Illinois Cannabis Bill Seeks to Clear the Air on Confusing Laws

If you're not up to speed on Illinois cannabis laws and aren't sure what's legal, and what's not, you're not alone and a new bill has been proposed to make the line a whole lot clearer.

The Official Aroma of Illinois

I heard someone say the other day that "pot is the official aroma of Illinois", and I laughed because they aren't wrong.

To be clear, I have zero problems with people smoking marijuana responsibly, but driving down the road and getting whiffs of that skunky smell everywhere we go is not my favorite thing.

Turns out, the pot smell causes some real problems for Illinois law enforcement as well. Here's why...

Illinois Cannabis Laws Summarized

Most people know that it is legal to possess pot in Illinois, but you can only have a certain amount. Here's a fact sheet from the Illinois Chamber that sums up the laws for those that are clueless, like me.

While those laws appear to be pretty cut and dry, the rules surrounding cannabis possession and law enforcement searches in Illinois are, frankly, a bit of a mess.

The big question here is; is the odor of pot in a vehicle enough probable cause for Illinois police to search it? No one knows where to draw the line, and a new Illinois bill is aiming to help with that.

New Illinois Bill to Prohibit Cannabis Odor As Probable Cause

According to an article from mystateline.com;

A bill in Illinois that would prohibit police from using the smell of raw or burnt cannabis as probable cause for a search has passed out of committee and heads to the House.

Essentially, the problem police officers have while enforcing Illinois' cannabis laws is that the smell alone can be misleading.

There could be 10 pounds or 10 grams of cannabis in the car...both amounts smell the same. Should police have the right to search the car of someone possessing a legal amount of cannabis just because it smells like pot? That's what this new bill is trying to prohibit.