K-9s Would Have to be Killed if Illinois Legalizes Pot, Official Says

Legalizing marijuana in Illinois could lead to possible euthanasia or early retirement for law enforcement K-9s in the state already trained to sniff out the drug, according to Macon County officials.

Legalizing marijuana in Illinois could lead to possible euthanasia or early retirement for law enforcement K-9s in the state already trained to sniff out the drug, according to Macon County officials.

Chad Larner, training director of the K-9 Training Academy in Macon County, went on to say in a Bloomington Pantagraph report that "a number of dogs would likely have to be euthanized" in the event that marijuana is legalized, reports the Belleville News-Democrat.

Police dogs are trained to alert to the presence of marijuana, heroin, cocaine and other drugs, and retraining them is usually impossible or impractical, according to the Pantagraph report.

Macon County Sheriff Howard Buffett said law enforcement would probably have to replace all its dogs if marijuana was legalized.

Larner told the newspaper that retraining the dogs would lead to "extreme abuse."

About the Author