WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's Alcohol Tobacco and Prevention agency has a new member to help sniff out illegal synthetic marijuana.

ATC Commissioner Troy Hebert says their new canine will be a great asset when it comes to detecting synthetic marijuana.

"It's a very, very dangerous substance," said Hebert. "We think this new addition's going to help us with some of that."

The substance was made illegal in the past year and has become a growing problem in the community.

The two-year-old German Shepard will complete his K9 training in the next couple weeks, and the agency is asking local students to help name him. They prefer one-syllable names like "Duke" or "Hunter," and said the winner will be recognized as an ATC Junior Agent.

To be considered name suggestions may be emailed to emily.cassidy@la.gov or at the ATC website by Friday, Oct. 26.