Medical Marijuana for Pets
What do we know about cannabis for pets? Times magazines has recently released an article that focuses precisely on this issue. The article, written by Barbara Stepko, includes an interview with Matthew J. Cote, the brand manager at Auntie Dolores, a San Francisco Bay Area-based edibles manufacturer. “What we’ve seen is that some of these dogs respond very rapidly. One woman from Fort Bragg was ready to put down her dog due to how sick and in pain he was, but the day before he was scheduled to go under, she administered our treats and just like that the dog was up, walking around, and acting normally again,”Cote said to ABC News – we are talking about sick, aging dogs, of course.
Is it true, then? Can dogs really feel better if they chew up some CBD? The problem is that nobody really knows and the American Veterinary Medical Association hasn’t yet decided what to say about it. As Tina Wismer, medical director of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, said in an interview with Health, “These products show potential, but there’s not a lot of research at this point. No one is even sure what the correct therapeutic dosage is. For example, in the ‘Frequently Asked Questions ‘section on one of the websites, a customer asks, ‘How much should I give my pet?’And they answer—I’m paraphrasing here: ‘Whatever you think would help. ‘Well, that’s extremely vague.”
Interestingly enough, a new bill was recently introduced in Nevada. As reported by ABC news, the law “would allow animal owners to get marijuana for their pet if a veterinarian certifies the animal has an illness that might be helped by the drug.”In fact, as we mentioned, “the American Veterinary Medical Association does not have an official stance on the use of medical marijuana with pets but suggests that vets make treatment decisions based on sound clinical judgment that stay in compliance with the law.”
No, you cannot go online, buy some seeds (http://greenhouseseeds.nl/), grow your cannabis plant and give it to your pet. However, we could soon be able to better understand whether or not cannabis is actually good for our furry best friends. More and more people are getting interested, money is available for researchers and CBD-based products for dogs are already circulating in the market. It is just a matter of time before dogs and cats will be able to enjoy the power of medical cannabis.
