Here is to progress - Wash. State Police Dogs Must Unlearn How To Smell Pot

[arely staircase]

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) — When Dusty, a 19-month-old black Labrador, walked past a pipe full of marijuana during a recent police search of a house, he was doing exactly what his handler hoped.

The newest drug-sniffing dog on the police force in Bremerton, near Seattle, is one of a few police dogs in Washington state that are not trained to point out pot during searches. Other police departments are considering or in the midst of re-training their dogs to ignore pot as well, part of the new reality in a state where voters last fall legalized marijuana use.

“We wanted to train our dog on what was truly illegal substances, that would be heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine,” said Dusty’s handler, Officer Duke Roessel, who added that Dusty nabbed five pounds of meth during that recent search.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/kicking-habit-wash-state-police-dogs-must-unlearn-how-to-smell-pot.php?ref=fpblg

[iemitsu]

1. Poor confused dogs.

Guess the ones, too old to learn new tricks, will have to retire.

[Blue Owl]

2. The Big Dog knows how not to inhale

[arely staircase]

5. Bush smoked pot too

only he never exhaled.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. lol

[Dawson Leery]

4. That is not going to be easy.

[arely staircase]

6. I am guessing that in reality it will be done mostly through attrition

as old dogs retire they will be replaced by new ones only trained to sniff meth, cocaine, heroin, etc.