“A prosecutor described MPD’s explanations as sometimes ‘cringey,’ and gave the example of an officer claiming to have smelled marijuana in a car that was going 60 miles per hour.”

By Marc Perrusquia and Micaela Watts, The Institute for Public Service Reporting Memphis

Memphis simmered in the July heat as a police cruiser pulled over a blue Nissan Altima motoring through the downtown business district. The car’s temporary tag had expired days earlier, an oversight police often resolve by issuing a citation.

But this traffic stop took a more serious turn when a Memphis Police Department (MPD) officer said he “could smell an odor consistent with marijuana coming out of the vehicle.’’

After questioning a female passenger, police found slightly more than a half-ounce of marijuana in her purse—a small but critical amount that led officers to arrest the family-focused grandmother on a felony drug-trafficking charge.

As a special task force begins reviewing U.S. Justice Department claims of abuse by MPD during traffic stops, reform advocates say the woman’s arrest is yet another example of overly aggressive policing in Memphis.

“It’s absolutely a trumped-up charge,” said Claiborne Ferguson, a longtime Memphis defense attorney who reviewed the July 2, 2024, police

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“We will work to rebuild the trust of the committee, our credential holders and the public.”

By Mark Pazniokas, The Connecticut Mirror

The state Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) apologized Friday for conducting what appeared to be a retaliatory inspection at a cannabis cultivator Thursday, a day after the company’s chief executive offered testimony at the General Assembly criticizing DCP testing protocols on recreational marijuana.

Bryan Cafferelli, the commissioner of consumer protection, offered public and private apologies and made no attempt to suggest there was a legitimate reason for what he called an “unannounced compliance check” that “took place without knowledge or approval of the commissioner.”

“This should not have happened,” Cafferelli said in a written response to an inquiry by The Connecticut Mirror. “Everyone should feel safe and comfortable providing testimony at a public hearing without fear of retribution or retaliation, whether they are a member of the general public or a licensee.”

“We sincerely apologize to the individuals and business involved,” he said. “We will work to rebuild the trust of the committee, our credential holders and the public.”

Cafferelli and a spokesperson for the department, Kaitlyn Krasselt, declined to say who ordered or conducted the inspection, calling

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CA blames feds for marijuana market issues; PA AG on legal cannabis “risks”; AZ & MO psychedelics; Poll: Inflation cuts marijuana purchases

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

President Donald Trump hosted Marc Fogel, who until recently was incarcerated in Russia for possessing medical cannabis that he used to treat pain, as a guest for his speech before a joint session of Congress—but he made no mention of marijuana while introducing the newly freed American.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday (R) said he wants to be a “voice for

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