Illinois Police Threaten to Euthanize K-9 Dogs Over Marijuana Legalization

Over the past two years, activists and some progressive politicians in Illinois have worked hard to move the state toward full legalization of marijuana. In an effort to push back against these reforms, state police representatives recently told the press that they would be “forced” to euthanize around 300 police dogs if residents vote to fully legalize marijuana.

According to the Pantagraph, the state police claim that the dogs would have to be put down because their training in detecting marijuana contraband would no longer be needed after legalization. Police representatives argue that since the dogs are trained to detect various illegal substances, continuing to use them could lead to numerous incidents of false alerts for contraband. However, police experience has shown that the dogs rarely detect vehicles carrying legal marijuana, suggesting that the animals often sense other drugs rather than marijuana itself.

Regardless, Illinois police maintain that they would not be able to continue working with dogs trained to detect marijuana if it becomes legal. “These dogs have spent 8-9 years tracking marijuana contraband. We doubt they can be retrained to ignore the plant during searches,” said Officer Steve Petrelli, deputy chief of the regional police, in an interview with the press.

Officer Chad Larner, who trains K-9 candidates in Macon County, estimates that about 275 police dogs could be euthanized if legalization goes through.

Other States Found Humane Solutions

It’s worth noting that Colorado and Oregon solved this “problem” without any major issues: dogs previously trained to detect marijuana are now used to find explosives and counterfeit currency. According to police departments in those states, not a single K-9 officer was laid off or euthanized due to marijuana reforms.

“It’s as if our colleagues in Illinois didn’t prepare for something so obvious,” said Captain Roger Ainsworth, a K-9 trainer from Colorado. “We stopped training dogs to detect marijuana about a year before the recreational market opened, and haven’t run those courses for 3-4 years now,” he told reporters.

On the East Coast, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has already taken note of Colorado’s experience in adapting K-9 units, planning to gradually transition the dogs to other roles over the next few years. Meanwhile, the state’s new governor, Phil Murphy, is considering full marijuana legalization reforms as early as next year.

Public Reaction and Police Response

Given these examples, many in the marijuana community have met the Illinois police’s “threat” with irony and sarcasm. “It’s ridiculous that the state police are willing to kill about 300 loyal colleagues just to prevent the legalization of a harmless plant,” said Dan Linn, a representative of the regional NORML chapter.

Some local police departments have come out strongly in defense of their four-legged officers. For example, the police chief in Normal, Illinois, responded to the announcement by saying he would personally ensure that local service dogs are placed in safe and loving homes after retirement, should legalization occur. Overall, many regional police officers considered the leadership’s statement a “stupid joke,” since such actions against the dogs make no sense.