New Drug-Sniffing Dogs Not Trained to Detect Marijuana in Washington, Colorado

Law enforcement officials in charge of K-9 units in Washington state and Colorado, where recreational marijuana is now legal, are no longer training drug-sniffing dogs to detect the drug, according to Fox News. Dogs already trained to detect marijuana are being forced into early retirement.

Now that possessing up to an ounce of marijuana is legal in the two states, police departments are concerned that drug dog searches will violate citizens’ rights, the article notes. They are also worried courts could dismiss evidence of other crimes collected during a follow-up search.

In Tacoma, Washington, police are continuing to use drug-sniffing dogs as they did before. They point out marijuana possession by minors is still illegal, as is possessing large amounts of the drug. Officials are still concerned about drug trafficking from Mexico and Canada, noted Officer Loretta Cool. “Because there’s so many different instances when it’s illegal, why would we change the way the dog indicates?” she said.