A West Palm Beach teenager’s conviction for possessing a half gram of weed was reversed because the cop who arrested him says he stopped the kid for truancy — but the kid wasn’t actually skipping school at the time, making the initial stop unlawful and the evidence obtained inadmissible.
According to a ruling by the appeals court issued on November 5, the kid, a 15-year-old referred to only as “J.R.” in court documents because he’s a minor, had his rights violated when the unnamed police officer stopped and searched him. The cop claims he saw J.R. leave a designated school bus stop before the bus arrived and believed the kid was skipping class, so he decided to see what the youngster was up to.

People who smoke marijuana regularly may have lower IQs than those who don’t, or maybe they don’t. A recent study by the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas is rather inconclusive on the whole thing, despite the study making headlines as pure fact.

For years, a large section of South Broadway has been known as Antique Row. Now, however, representatives of some marijuana businesses that are now located along that stretch have floated the idea of re-branding the area as “The Green Mile” — and, to put it mildly, veteran antique-shop entrepreneurs haven’t embraced the notion.
More at the Denver Westword.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Commissioner Bill Bratton are reportedly ready to announce a big change in the way the NYPD deals with low-level pot arrests. Police officers will begin issuing tickets for pot possession rather than making an arrest, according to a report published by the New York Times on Sunday. The change would mean anyone found in possession of a small amount of pot would given a notice to show up in court, rather than be put in handcuffs and hauled down to the station, where they would be have to be fingerprinted and have a mugshot taken.
It sounds like a step in the right direction, but advocates and officials are voicing concerns about the proposed changes.

The New York City Police Department announced Monday that officers will be adopting new guidelines when it comes to marijuana possession stops. What does that mean for you? Here’s the skinny from our sister paper, the Village Voice.
When do the new guidelines go into effect? November 19, 2014
How much weed can I be caught with? 25 grams or less.
How much is that? About a sandwich bag full.