KY: Medical Marijuana Law Will Force K9 Retirements

Dogs trained to detect marijuana cannot distinguish between medical marijuana and illegal versions of the drug.IMAGE: Pexels, Yash LucidDue to the recent implementation of the Kentucky's medical marijuana law , several K-9s are being retired, making the introduction of the Ft. Mitchell Police Department's newest K-9 timely and necessary, according to a report on WXIX-TV.

Gunny, the department's latest K-9, was purchased with money recovered from drug dealers by the Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney's Office. Gunny is one of three K-9s in the county trained not to smell marijuana, the report said.

“It was very important for us to make sure he wasn’t imprinted with marijuana,” Chief Robert Nader told the media outlet.

He explained in the report there is no way for narcotics dogs trained in marijuana to know the difference between medical or illegal marijuana.

Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders predicted that 10 of the county’s 12 K-9s will be forced to retire because of the marijuana law, which goes into effect in 2025, according to the report.

He stated that it is uncertain whether police K9s can continue narcotics detection if they’ve been trained on marijuana. Sanders said this will require state law enforcement agencies to review the status of K-9 officers trained in marijuana over the next six months, WXIX-TV reported.