Pubdate: Thu, 21 Sep 2000
Source: Blade, The (OH)
Copyright: 2000 The Blade
Contact:  541 North Superior St., Toledo OH 43660
Website: http://www.toledoblade.com/

COLUMBUS ---A police officer can rely on his sense of smell as a sole reason to search for marijuana, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in an unanimous decision yesterday.

The court sent back to Lancaster Municipal court the case of a driver whose car and coat were searched during a traffic stop Feb. 28 1999.

Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Green did not have a search warrant. But he said he searched Christopher M. Moore after smelling a strong odor of marijuana and found drug paraphernalia in his coat and a burned marijuana cigarette in the car's ashtray.
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