Now that recreational marijuana is legalized in Missouri, the Kansas City area police have decided to change things up for the K9 unit. With the new legislation in place, some of the dogs have skills that are no longer necessary, which has multiple Kansas City police departments giving their K9s new jobs, or sending them into retirement. Luckily, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department planned ahead for this possible outcome regarding Amendment 3.

The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department Canine Section has twelve teams, each consisting of an officer and a dual-purpose K9. These dogs are certified in either explosive detection or narcotics detection in addition to being patrol certified.

During a presentation to the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners on December 13th, 2022, Captain Greg Williams of the Police Department explained what that plan is. Fox 4 Kansas City News quoted him saying, “Recently with the law we made the decision for the narcotics aspect of the K9 we are not going to use that dog for that reason because they are imprinted with marijuana, but they are still a functioning patrol dog. They still will be able to go out, do the patrol function, as in article searches, search for individuals, things like that.”

Captain Williams elaborated that only three of the twelve K9s in the unit fall into that category, which the department is working on replacing. Fox 4 quoted him, “We are looking for different options for replacing those dogs because now we go from having a dual purpose dog to a single purpose dog and it would be much more effective if we had dual purpose.”

Will Any KC Area Police Departments Keep Narcotic Certified K9s?

The Independence Police Department no longer actively trains its K9s to detect marijuana. However, the department still has two dogs that know the scent. Independence Police Department only uses these K9s for car searches, and when citizens under the age of 21 are suspected in illegal marijuana possession.

Still, once these two certified K9s retire, the department will no longer enact training for future dogs to detect the substance.

What If I’m Hit by a High Driver?

Having a BAC of .08% is enough to prove without any other evidence that a driver was behind the wheel while intoxicated. When it comes to marijuana, there are no legal standards like this in place yet. However, it is still illegal to drive while high, which is known as a DWI.

Despite the myth that driving high isn’t as dangerous as drunk driving, it’s been proven that marijuana alters your behavior and increases the likelihood of getting into a car accident. According to a Canadian study, drivers under the influence of marijuana are four times more likely to get into a car crash.

If you are injured in a collision caused by an intoxicated driver, you may be entitled to compensation. You just need a skilled personal injury attorney on your side to help prove that the driver was under the influence, and therefore at fault for the accident.

Your lawyer can help you gather the proof you need to win compensation for your personal injuries and related expenses such as the following.

  • Lost wages during recovery.
  • Medical bills.
  • Pain and suffering.
  • Future costs related to your personal injury such as prescriptions, surgery, physical therapy, or even living expenses if your injury has left you fully or partially disabled and unable to work at full capacity.

If you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident that was caused by the actions of a negligent driver, contact us as soon as possible to schedule your initial consultation. During your consultation, you will receive free legal advice from an experienced and dedicated Kansas City lawyer near you. We’ll fight for the compensation you deserve.