As Virginia prepares to legalise adult possession of up to an ounce of cannabis from July 1, drug-sniffing police dogs from around the US state are being forced into early retirement.
This follows a trend in other American states where legalisation has led to K-9s being put out to pasture earlier than planned.
In Virginia, the rush to take cannabis-detecting dogs out of service began even before legislators voted last month to accelerate the timetable for legalisation.
A separate law that went into effect in March prohibits police from stopping or searching anyone based solely on the odour of cannabis.
As Virginia prepares to legalize adult possession of up to an ounce of marijuana on July 1, drug-sniffing police dogs from around the state are being forced into early retirement.