The 5 dumbest things you can do if you possess marijuana

Weed is not legal in Missouri, yet, for most of us. Some can possess it legally if a doctor decides marijuana is medicine. Let’s be real, a lot of people smoke weed in this state. People have to go get their weed and are out and about for at least as long as it takes to drive from their weed outlet to their home.First, you should understand that possession of marijuana is illegal in this state, though some cities have decriminalized the possession of pot. They still will write you a ticket, even if they don’t arrest you. The only way to legally possess marijuana is with a medical marijuana card issued by the State of Missouri.Understand, we at the Missouri DWI & Criminal Law Center are not encouraging you to break the law, or imbibe in any mind altering substances. We are, however, wanting you to be as safe as you can if you make the choice to imbibe in the “devil’s lettuce.”I’ve read a lot of police reports involving the illegal possession of many items, a large part of those reports involve marijuana. Here is my list of the top 5 dumbest things people do with weed in their car.Smoking pot in the carMany of you are too young to remember, but weed really smells stronger and skunkier these days (I hear) than it did when you were a kid, and if you smoke in your car. Your car, your clothes, and maybe the entire city block you are driving down, will smell like a sweet skunk has been run over. The golden language that police use is “I smell the order of marijuana,” and that gives the officer probable cause to search your car, and likely find what you’ve been smoking. Don’t smoke pot in your car.Keeping pot in the center console, glove compartment, or anywhere closeOfficers are allowed under search and seizure law to do a preliminary search of anywhere in your car that can conceal a firearm or weapon that is in your reach. Keep the weed in the trunk! If you don’t have a trunk put it in the rear of the vehicle, preferably in a zip-lock or stink sack, inside a mason jar.Agreeing to a searchNever grant permission to search your car, never. It is just foolish to agree to let an officer search your car. Nine times out of ten if they are asking your permission, they don’t have probable cause to search already. You refusing to allow the search, cannot be used as a reason to find probable cause and search anyway. Do not consent to any searches.Keeping the windows up tight with weed in the carI mean, you shouldn’t be keeping the weed in the front of your car anyway, but if you do, keep all the windows cracked a bit or completely down if you can. I’ve had K-9 handlers tell me that they wish that a person would have the windows up because the less air exchanged the more smell is building up for his dog to smell through the cracks and crevices of your automobile.Don’t speed, make sure all lights work, and get your tags renewedLet’s be clear. Police must have a reason to pull you over. If you know you are going to be moving some weed around the city, don’t break the law when you are driving. That means check your blinkers, head lights, light above your license plate, and make sure your car is legally licensed. And for goodness sakes, don’t speed down the highway at 100 miles an hour with a joint hanging out of your mouth (as I’ve seen in the past), this usually doesn’t end well.Well those are my top five easiest ways to get caught in possession of an illegal substance, marijuana. If you have those troubles, though, give us a call as we don’t believe it should be illegal and will fight to make sure you do not end up with possession on your record.