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Marijuana Odor Perception: Studies Modeled From Probable Cause Cases, 28 Law and Human Behavior, No. 2 (April 2004), by Richard L. Doty, Thomas Wudarski, David A. Marshall, and Lloyd Hastings:

The 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution protects American citizens against unreasonable search and seizure without probable cause. Although law enforcement officials routinely rely solely on the sense of smell to justify probable cause when entering vehicles and dwellings to search for illicit drugs, the accuracy of their perception in this regard has rarely been questioned and, to our knowledge, never tested. In this paper, we present data from two empirical studies based upon actual legal cases in which the odor of marijuana was used as probable cause for search. In the first, we simulated a situation in which, during a routine traffic stop, the odor of packaged marijuana located in the trunk of an automobile was said to be detected through the driver’s window. In the second, we investigated a report that marijuana odor was discernable from a considerable distance from the chimney effluence of diesel exhaust emanating from an illicit California grow room. Our findings suggest that the odor of marijuana was not reliably discernable by persons with an excellent sense of smell in either case. These studies are the first to examine the ability of humans to detect marijuana in simulated real-life situations encountered by law enforcement officials, and are particularly relevant to the issue of probable cause.

Network World: Fight the Patriot Act and win. Next? Promise privacy, a surveillance-free ISP:

Nick Merrill, once known as John Doe, secretly fought for our First and Fourth Amendment rights, battled against NSL abuse, a gag order, excessive government secrecy, and almost entirely redacted documents from FBI counterintelligence. Living under such mentally-exhausting circumstances for years is bound to change a person, but Merrill believes it is "better to die on your feet than live on your knees" and is "hoping to do further legal challenges to some of the warrantless wiretapping laws in America.” What’s next after fighting the Patriot Act and winning? Merrill intends to create a surveillance-free ISP with end-to-end encryption that promises to put your privacy above profit. The Calyx Institute promises to be an ISP that will stand up to the government.

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — The first drug shown to prevent HIV infection won the endorsement of a panel of federal advisers Thursday, clearing the way for a landmark approval in the 30-year fight against the virus that causes AIDS.

In a series of votes, a Food and Drug Administration ...

GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) — A manhunt for a fugitive accused of kidnapping and a double-slaying ended Thursday after the suspect apparently shot himself and died. The girls he fled with are safe, police said.

Adam Mayes, 35, was killed Thursday evening after authorities acted on a ...

ATLANTA — Eighth-graders in the U.S. are doing better in science than they were two years ago, but seven out of 10 still are not considered proficient, the federal government said Thursday.

What's more, just 2 percent have the advanced skills that could lead to careers in the field. That's ...

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday vetoed legislation that would set up a state health insurance exchange as part of President Obama's health care overhaul, saying the state shouldn't rush to enact such a law and possibly create new burdens on taxpayers while the constitutionality of the ...

The Justice Department, which first targeted Sheriff Joe Arpaio four years ago over his handling of illegal immigrants arrested in the Phoenix area, filed a civil lawsuit in federal court Thursday accusing the sheriff and his office of "unconstitutional and unlawful actions" against Hispanics.

The complaint, which says the Maricopa ...

LOS ANGELES — The giant asteroid Vesta got clobbered not once but twice, and it has the scars to prove it.

Ever since the Hubble Space Telescope spied a huge depression in the asteroid's south pole, scientists surmised it was carved by a collision with a celestial object, most likely ...

An influential group of conservative state lawmakers is on the verge of proposing model legislation to block the Common Core national education standards that have been heavily promoted by the Obama administration.

The American Legislative Exchange Council's board of directors, made up of two dozen state legislators from across the ...

SEATTLE — Washington state's worst outbreak of whooping cough in decades has prompted health officials to declare an epidemic, seek help from federal specialists and urge residents to get vaccinated amid worry that cases of the highly contagious disease could spike much higher.

It is the first state to declare ...