But as civil actions Sutula filed to have the cannabis returned wound its way through the courts, the cannabis simply sat around in an evidence locker—attracting bugs, mold, and slowly but surely becoming totally worthless.
In August 2018, in a case titled Smith vs.
A state law proposed in 2014 that would have mandated “reasonable compensation” for anyone whose legally possessed cannabis that was returned in a damaged or unusable state after police confiscation failed in the state Legislature.
One justification why is that such protections are unnecessary after marijuana legalization.
However, the Smith incident from 2018—and in San Francisco!—suggests this is not always so.
Sutula told the Ventura County Star she plans to sue the state and seek compensation.
I’m an award-winning investigative reporter and I’ve covered the legalization movement and the cannabis industry with a political economy lens for more than a decade.