Can drug unit dogs tell the difference between weed and hemp, read this https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/can-drugsniffing-dogs-tell-the-difference-between-marijuana-and-hemp

1. 9/17/2020 Can Drug-Sniffing Dogs Tell the Difference Between Marijuana and Hemp?
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DRUG SNIFFING DOG ON HEMP OR MARIJUANA
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2. 9/17/2020 Can Drug-Sniffing Dogs Tell the Difference Between Marijuana and Hemp?
https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/can-drugsniffing-dogs-tell-the-difference-between-marijuana-and-hemp 3/13
Can Drug-Snif ng Dogs Tell the Difference
Between Marijuana and Hemp?
Are canine drug sniffers able to tell the differentiate between hemp and marijuana?
Posted by:
The Undercover Stoner , today at 12:00am
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Can Drug-Sni ng Dogs Differentiate Between Marijuana
and Hemp?
The situation that still permits the di erentiation between marijuana and hemp is due to the illegal status that
marijuana still has on a federal level. These problems may not pose much of a problem in states where marijuana use is
considered legal for medical and recreational use. However, in states where the use of cannabis is yet to be made legal,

3. 9/17/2020 Can Drug-Sniffing Dogs Tell the Difference Between Marijuana and Hemp?
https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/can-drugsniffing-dogs-tell-the-difference-between-marijuana-and-hemp 4/13
there is still a need to di erentiate between the two. Much of the common ways that law enforcement authorities use in
trying to identify and distinguish these two natural products can easily be faulted. This is because it is very hard for
humans to di erentiate physically between marijuana and hemp. This situation has made it very hard for many police
o cers to search persons and their properties without proper identi cation of the supposed contraband product the
person is supposedly in possession of.
How e ective are drug sni ng dogs?
One of the ways that law enforcement agencies have sought to combat contraband drug products is through the use of
drug-sni ng dogs. The e ectiveness of these dogs largely plays on the fact that the nose and ability of these dogs to
perceive scents and smells are highly advanced and accurate. This makes it possible for these dogs to be trained to be
able to identify the scents of common drugs of abuse. These drugs have been of immense bene t for may state police
departments as they aid help in ensuring the e ciency of their job. The problem with drug-sni ng dogs occurs when it
comes to marijuana and hemp as it is impossible for the dogs to di erentiate between marijuana and hemp. This
makes a very controversial case for many prosecutors to be able to a rm probable cause for searches given the
provisions that are provided by the Fourth Amendment of the constitution.
What are the di erences between marijuana and hemp?
Di erentiating between marijuana and hemp is sure to be very hard because they are both similar visually and have the
smell. This has to be expected because both marijuana and hemp hail from the same cannabis plant. A quick
di erentiation between the three terms will probably shed enough light on their di erences and similarities.
Cannabis refers to the botanical name of the marijuana plant which is why the active compounds in the parent plant
are called cannabinoids. Marijuana is the name given to the natural product while hemp is a part of the cannabis plant
which contains less than 0.3% of THC. Hemp is largely grown in the cannabis plant to maximize the size of the plant. it is
commonly used to make ropes, paper, and textiles. Marijuana on the other hand contains about 30% of THC which
largely indicates the major di erence between the two. This makes it hard to separate them by visual identi cation
methods.

4. 9/17/2020 Can Drug-Sniffing Dogs Tell the Difference Between Marijuana and Hemp?
https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/can-drugsniffing-dogs-tell-the-difference-between-marijuana-and-hemp 5/13
The THC concentration of hemp makes it legal on the federal level, unlike marijuana. Hemp contains the same
cannabinoids as marijuana which accounts for its e ect however to a lesser degree. This is why it doesn’t provide the
same kind of e ects and accounts for the legality of hemp on a federal level. The lack of intoxicating properties in hemp
unlike marijuana which gives a euphoric feeling due to its concentration of THC is the reason why marijuana is still
considered illegal in many regions. The di erentiation between both products is already obsolete in states where
cannabis is legal and with the growing acceptance of cannabis in more states for medical and recreational use, they are
bound to fade away soon.
Problems of drug sni ng dogs
The problems with drug-sni ng dogs begins when extensive drug searches are conducted on the basis of probable
cause thanks to the dogs. Their failure to be able to di erentiate between hemp that is legal and cannabis that is illegal
in some states is a huge problem.
The dogs are trained to act the same way when they perceive the contraband drugs, they are trained to search for such
as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. This makes it very hard to justify what the dogs identify as they will act the
same way when they identify legal hemp and heroin. Once this cannot be sorted, it provides a very big issue for the
justi cation of the use of these dogs in a rming probable cause which is needed for the search of persons and their
possessions.
The Ohio Highway Patrol had to suspend marijuana training for drugs due to this sort of complication that arises with
prosecutors. The problems are made more problematic because a good number of the people of Ohio have
medications for medical marijuana. The legalization of cannabis in di erent states such as Colorado and Oregon have
already ensured that the training of the dogs for marijuana is stopped. The New York state police department has also
followed suit in stopping this course of training which is expected to be in anticipation of the expected decriminalization
of cannabis in the region. The failure of the dogs to be able to identify and distinguish between marijuana and hemp
already makes for a problematic day for prosecutors.
The Fourth Amendment of the constitution o ers a right that protects the people and their possessions from
unreasonable searches and seizures. This along with the inability of the dogs to distinguish between hemp and
marijuana has necessitated the retrenchment of the dogs from service. This is because the dogs cannot unlearn what

5. 9/17/2020 Can Drug-Sniffing Dogs Tell the Difference Between Marijuana and Hemp?
https://cannabis.net/blog/opinion/can-drugsniffing-dogs-tell-the-difference-between-marijuana-and-hemp 6/13
they have learned and will still react the same way. Many persons can then be on the receiving end of unreasonable
searches which are based on the problems of di erentiation of drugs for the drug-sni ng drugs.
Bottom line
The ultimate goal is rst that the federal stance of marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic drug changes. The ripple e ect of
this change is bound to a ect things such as the general di erentiation of hemp and marijuana. Once marijuana is
legalized, there will be no need for drug-sni ng drugs to be trained to search for marijuana, and so on. This will ensure
that more people can easily use marijuana for its wide range of medicinal and recreational bene ts without the fear of
being harrassed by the police.
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6. 9/17/2020 Can Drug-Sniffing Dogs Tell the Difference Between Marijuana and Hemp?
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8. 9/17/2020 Can Drug-Sniffing Dogs Tell the Difference Between Marijuana and Hemp?
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