Ohio has a new hemp legislation law and it is causing some concern for the police canines in the state.
Hemp and marijuana are both from the cannabis plant and smell the same. This means that dog’s can’t tell the different.
The Ohio Highway Patrol and the Columbus Division of Police have suspended marijuana-detection training for new police dogs.
“The decision to stop imprinting narcotic detection canines with the odor of marijuana was based on several factors,” including that the “odor of marijuana and the odor of hemp are the same,” explained Highway Patrol spokesman Staff Lt. Craig Cvetan.
According to Cvetan, once a dog has been trained to detect a certain narcotic, they can’t be retrained to stop reacting to that odor.
There are 31 narcotic-detection canines currently deployed by the patrol. “We are evaluating what impact the hemp legislation may have,” said Cvetan.
