Tag: K9

By Erin Droneburg Beginning in October 2014, Maryland will decriminalize use or possession of up to ten grams of marijuana. This offense will be lowered from a criminal offense to a civil offense. Any person who is found with a decriminalized quantity of marijuana will be issued a civil citation. The citation will come with a monetary penalty, all of which will be allotted to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The law will bring a good deal of change for the state as a whole, especially within law enforcement agencies. Captain Tim Clarke of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department says that the new law will alter the way that deputies carry out drug-related responses. He also points out areas of the bill that are not specific enough, which make adapting agency procedures more difficult. One change will change current conditions that provide probable cause for conducting searches. Now, Clarke says, the odor of burnt marijuana is probable cause to search for drugs; with the...