How Legal Hemp Accidentally Broke the War on Weed: When Cops Can’t Tell the Difference

We’re now watching a fascinating legal drama unfold in North Carolina’s courts, where officers are literally testifying under oath that they can smell the difference between two identical substances. In one case, Officer Jason Cleary told a judge that marijuana has a “very distinct strong smell” while hemp is “not as pungent.” Another officer claimed he attended “marijuana spotter school” and could identify marijuana by smell alone.