Hard to tell if this guy's over 21, and cops can't stop him to find out.

There's a funky smell coming from some of our favorite Jersey Shore towns this summer, and it isn't low tide.

To hear police in some Shore destinations tell it, they're utterly powerless to do anything about marauding bands of underage drinkers and pot smokers who have spent the summer partying at the beach. They claim changes to the law meant to enable legal cannabis consumption for adults have unintentionally legalized drinking and getting stoned for kids, too, and the cops can only look on in horror.

No longer can officers search kids for booze or drugs, even if they smell of liquor or weed. What used to be instant grounds for arrest and a fine -- or at least, an expensive ticket -- now merits only a warning.

But when things "get out of hand," as can happen whenever large crowds and alcohol get together, cops can still make arrests for fights, disorderly conduct, vandalism and the like. So they're not actually helpless, just forced to engage with underage people differently.

Statewide, as our Amanda Hoover has reported, underage drinking isn't really the problem. "Statistics provided to NJ Advance Media show that very few young people are actually arrested for drinking violations, and that number is dwarfed by marijuana arrests made even after New Jerseyans voted to legalize weed in November."

But in Shore towns, where summer business pads everyone's budgets -- including the local police and courts -- our Paul Mulshine describes a hellish landscape dominated by savvy teens looking to exploit loopholes in the law.

"The cops are under siege in Ocean City, a dry town traditionally catering to families," he wrote, overlooking the fact that a "dry" town where you can't buy booze is not necessarily a "sober" town. Kids have been partying -- and getting busted by cops -- in Ocean City well before it was our turn back in the '80s.

Up the coast, some other beach town authorities are quoted in the Asbury Park Press saying they're running low on special summer officers this year. And they're blaming a lack of applicants on rampant anti-cop sentiment, with no evidence offered and little pushback. Utter speculation, of course, but some cops said it so it must be true?

My nose is telling me all this stinks of politics, and these complaints eventually will be laid at Gov. Murphy's feet as part of Jack Ciattarelli's gubernatorial campaign.

Also this week, how to talk about vaccines, our Olympians rock, summer fairs, dank in Readington, and the latest on schools:

TALK IT OUT: Apparently, experts do not recommend shouting "Yo stunod, you got the shots right?!" at random people to find out if they're vaccinated. I'll make a note of that! Experts say there's a better way.

THEY'RE GOLDEN: New Jersey women are bringing home a ton of medals from Tokyo. Carli Lloyd got a bronze for her likely Olympic finale, and Sydney McLaughlin and Athing Mu made it unforgettable while letting people know how much Jersey rules. Way to let 'em know!

BEEF, STEAK, TOMATOES: It's that time of year when South Jersey is bursting with life, ripe with possibility and sweaty from a day at the 4-H fair! Don't miss these terrific shots from Salem County's annual shindig, where family fun is always in season. The New Jersey State Fair returns this weekend, too.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR: There's a funk in the air in Readington, and some neighbors say it's coming from the big weed manufacturing facility that opened in an old Walmart building. Local official say the facility's owners are working on making the building stank-proof.

SCHOOL UPDATES: As of this writing, Gov. Murphy says kids need to be back in school and wearing masks in September. Parents may be weary of the whole school-at-home thing, but they still have plenty of questions. Here's what we know right now.

Finally, during a week when back-to-school expenses have cash flying out of my wallet like seagulls chasing french fries, it makes me irrationally angry to read that some college students are paying for fake vaccine cards. For a vaccine that's free. Stupidity is expensive, friends.

P.S.: <Homer Simpson voice> Mmmm, chicken parm.