Illinois: Support bill to end unfair cannabis searches!

Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill, HB 2585, that would protect lawful cannabis consumers and workers from unnecessary police stops and searches.

HB 2585, introduced by Rep. Curtis Tarver (D), explicitly prohibits law enforcement from stopping, detaining, or searching a vehicle solely due to the smell of raw or burnt cannabis. HB 2585 would also eliminate the requirement that cannabis be stored in an odor-proof container while in a vehicle.

If you live in Illinois, write your lawmakers today, and let them know you strongly support ending stops and searches based on the odor of cannabis!

The odor of cannabis is now the smell of a legal product, not the evidence of a crime. Individuals who work in the legal cannabis industry often smell like cannabis after work. And the smell of cannabis can linger in consumers' clothes and hair long after impairment wears off.

Studies show that Black and Brown drivers are disproportionately targeted by traffic searches on the basis of the real or feigned odor of cannabis. Allowing this practice perpetuates racial profiling and mistrust in our communities. By updating the Vehicle Code, HB 2585 aligns Illinois law with the reality of legal cannabis and helps reduce unlawful discrimination.