Op-Ed: Liberty and the odor of marijuana

May 8, 2011 | Archives

Earlier this month on the 236th anniversary of battles of Lexington and Concord, our state supreme court released its decision in Commonwealth v. Cruz, honoring the principles of 1775. The Cruz ruling limits police power to detain and search a car passenger based only...

Marijuana law means whiff is not enough

May 6, 2011 | Archives, Published LTE's

Persons who value the advantages of liberty and the principles of the constitution of Massachusetts will remember April 19 of 2011, the 236th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, as a little more special. It was the day that the Supreme Judicial Court...

SJC weakens pot enforcement

Apr 20, 2011 | Archives

In a move that could further weaken the state’s marijuana regulations, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has made it tougher for investigators to sniff out possible pot crimes. The SJC ruled Wednesday that the odor of marijuana wafting from a car is no...

Mass. court limits police in small marijuana cases

Apr 19, 2011 | Archives

The odor of burnt marijuana alone is not enough for police to suspect criminal activity and order a person to get out of a car, the state’s highest court ruled Tuesday, citing a state law that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of the narcotic. The...