NC appeals court: Pot search lawful despite hemp similarity wfae.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wfae.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Although illegal marijuana and lawful hemp look and smell the same, criminal prosecution for pot in North Carolina can still be legitimate when sight or odor contributes to a warrantless search and seizure, the state Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday.
A three-judge panel found no errors of the trial judge and attorney for Derek Edwin Highsmith, who was convicted last year of felony marijuana possession stemming from a Duplin County traffic stop in 2017. He was sentenced to a maximum of a little over four years in prison.