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Government & Politics
Explore our coverage of government and politics.

Vermont Supreme Court Will Hear Pot 'Sniff-Test' Case

Vermont Public | By Mitch Wertlieb,
Liam Elder-Connors
Published August 24, 2017 at 3:18 PM EDT
In 2014, Gregory Zullo was pulled over for having part of his license plate covered. The state trooper said he smelled marijuana in the car and towed the car. The Vermont ACLU sued the state and is appealing the case to the Vermont Supreme Court.
ACLU-VT
In 2014, Gregory Zullo was pulled over for having part of his license plate covered. The state trooper said he smelled marijuana in the car and towed the car. The Vermont ACLU sued the state and is appealing the case to the Vermont Supreme Court.

A case regarding the traffic stop of a black motorist and a subsequent vehicle search based on the smell of marijuana is heading to the Vermont Supreme Court.

In 2014, a state police officer pulled over Gregory Zullo. The officer claimed to have smelled marijuana in the car and used that claim as justification for searching the vehicle.

The Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sued the state on behalf of the driver, but a judge threw out the case earlier this year. Now the Vermont ACLU is appealing to the state's highest court.

VPR spoke Mark Davis, a reporter at Seven Days, who’s been following the story.

Listen to the full interview above.
Tags
Local News MarijuanaThe FrequencyGovernment & PoliticsLocal NewsCrimeRace & Identity
Mitch Wertlieb
A graduate of NYU with a Master's Degree in journalism, Mitch has more than 20 years experience in radio news. He got his start as news director at NYU's college station, and moved on to a news director (and part-time DJ position) for commercial radio station WMVY on Martha's Vineyard. But public radio was where Mitch wanted to be and he eventually moved on to Boston where he worked for six years in a number of different capacities at member station WBUR...as a Senior Producer, Editor, and fill-in co-host of the nationally distributed Here and Now. Mitch has been a guest host of the national NPR sports program "Only A Game". He's also worked as an editor and producer for international news coverage with Monitor Radio in Boston.
See stories by Mitch Wertlieb
Liam Elder-Connors
Liam is Vermont Public’s public safety reporter, focusing on law enforcement, courts and the prison system.
See stories by Liam Elder-Connors
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