Marijuana is not only for humans. Many have used it for their pets and trust that the drug can help relieve suffering in their furry friends.
Pet owners have increasingly been turning to oils and powders with CBDs, which are the non-psychoactive component of marijuana to help their pets with pain and anxiety.
There is now a push in Washington to allow studies on marijuana for pets.
The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration had announced in 2016 that marijuana extracts with CBD and little or no THC was still an illegal Schedule 1 drug. This prompted clinical trials to be halted.
The American Veterinary Medical Association’s policy-making body said last summer that it wants the DEA to declassify marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug in order “to facilitate research opportunities for veterinary and human medical uses.”
“The concern our membership has is worry about people extrapolating their own dosages, looking to medicate their pets outside the realm of the medical professional,” said Board Chairman Michael Whitehair. This is an important reason for us to continue the research.”
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine had to halt a study after the DEA’s policy statement. The school was studying CBDs’ effects on dogs with osteoarthritis and pruritis.
“The ambiguity in this process has really brought us to a screeching halt,” remarked Michael DiGregorio who is director of the university’s clinical trials center. “It is research that needs to be done, because there are a lot of CBD products out there.”
