Could my backpack legally be searched for no reason ifI was just walking down the street?

Could my backpack legally be searched for no reason ifI was just walking down the street?

I was walking down the street and a police officer stopped me. He asked me what I was doing and I said I’m going for a walk. He said, “People usually go for walks around here when they want to smoke.” He proceeded to get out of his car and search my bag. He found a small bag of weed and some alcohol in my backpack. They didn’t press charges but they reported it to my college and there is a possibility that I might get kicked off campus for this. I wasn’t on campus when this happened and it wasn’t campus police who searched me. I was sober when this happened and was with 2 other kids at 10:30 pm.

Asked on September 8, 2011 under Criminal Law, Massachusetts

Answers:

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