Jason Hassan Baxter v. State
Sitting en banc, the Fifth DCA held that because hemp is now legal and indistinguishable in smell from illegal cannabis, the odor of cannabis alone can no longer establish reasonable suspicion for an investigatory detention; it is now merely one factor in the totality-of-the-circumstances analysis. The court nonetheless affirmed the denial of the motion to suppress because the officer reasonably relied on then-binding Second DCA precedent (Owens) under the Davis good-faith exception, but expressly certified conflict with Owens.
Key facts
- Defendant was detained by an officer based solely on the detected odor of cannabis during a traffic stop or investigatory encounter.
- The trial court denied defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained from the detention.
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Why it matters
This is a landmark, certified-conflict decision that fundamentally alters Fourth Amendment analysis for cannabis-odor stops and searches in Florida, directly conflicting with the Second DCA's Owens decision and setting… — full analysis with a trial
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