SEATTLE (AP) — Some police agencies in Washington, including the state patrol, are now training drug-sniffing dogs to ignore marijuana.
After voters in November legalized the possession of small amounts of the drug, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys advised police agencies to change their standards.
TV station KOMO reports marijuana was removed from the police dog guidelines set by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission.
The prosecuting attorneys' association also told police that an "alert" from drug-sniffing dog that had been trained to find marijuana is no longer enough evidence for a search warrant. Police will need other evidence, at least until the old dogs retire.
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