A Minnesota lawmaker wants to keep cannabis illegal because it will take jobs away from drug-sniffing detection dogs.
Bring Me The News reported that on Feb. 13, at a state Senate Transportation Committee hearing, Sen. John Jasinski (R-Faribault) said legalizing pot “would put K-9 dogs out of a job”. According to the article, Jasinski wanted to know who was going to answer for the law enforcement agencies that spent money and time training these dogs. “Now,” he said, “they’re going to have to be retired? That’s a big issue”.
Are Retiring Drug Dogs a Big Issue?
To a certain extent, Sen. Jasinski’s comments reflect real concerns. Recently, AP News reported that yes, legalizing pot is affecting drug dog numbers. Not only that, but legalization has created a logistical nightmare for police departments in legal states. Besides just retiring their old dogs, they also have to train new dogs that will detect other substances without being sensitive to cannabis.
However, the senator’s concerns don’t reflect real risks. Retired detection dogs generally secure a fantastic life after retirement. Additionally, scent detection-trained dogs are useful in countless other applications. Amazingly, some detection dogs have helped mitigate COVID and even protect the environment. Furthermore, there’s evidence suggesting that lowering the demand for detection dogs could be useful. Only recently has the federal government seen respite from a stark shortage of bomb-sniffing dogs.
That Doesn’t Mean Cannabis Is Harmless
Of course, detection dogs aren’t the only reason Sen. Jasinski wants to keep cannabis illegal in Minnesota. Despite the current measure to legalize pot enjoying broad support, the senator said the law would endanger drivers, threaten kids, and impact mental health. Curiously, Jasinski also said legalizing cannabis would reduce public transit ridership. Significantly, Sen. Jasinski was also against expunging the criminal records of people convicted for possession.
Like any other substance, using cannabis should only be done responsibly and by consenting adults. One alarming effect since legalizing cannabis has been a surge of dogs getting accidentally stoned. Although it may sound harmless, some dogs have required medical attention. Ironically, that could be more of an issue for the soon-to-be-retired detection dogs.
