Meriden Chief of Police Rob Rosado says his officers constantly smell marijuana throughout the city.

“ You drive down the road and you can smell that odor,” he told members of the state legislature’s Judiciary Committee in a public hearing on Monday. 

Rosado, who is also the president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said officers frequently see individuals consuming cannabis while driving. “There’s violations there constantly throughout the city of Meriden, but that could be the same for anywhere in the state of Connecticut,” he said.

The police chiefs are asking lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow law enforcement officers to pull people over for consuming cannabis while driving. The bill would also call for a study to establish a maximum blood-THC level for people operating motor vehicles.  

Although it’s illegal to drive while under the influence of cannabis, current law says police officers can’t stop a vehicle solely because a driver is using the substance. 

The proposed legislation would change that, allowing police officers to pull someone over if they either see the driver using cannabis or smell its “burnt odor.” It would also allow an officer to search a vehicle if the driver was seen using cannabis.

Rep. Greg Howard, R-Stonington, said police currently have the right to search a vehicle if they see someone drinking alcohol and if that person attempts to hide the container. The cannabis bill, H.B. 7258, would apply a similar standard to cannabis use, Howard said, echoing testimony from the police chiefs. 

Some lawmakers questioned whether the proposed bill was strong enough.