Veterinarians Trying to Get Authorization to Research Effects of Cannabis Products on Pets

December 08, 2017

Many pet owners are now taking interest in using CBD containing concentrates and oils to alleviate medical sufferings of their pets. CBD is a non-psychoactive constituent of cannabis. However, no conclusive data is available on CBD’s effects on animals due to federal administration’s firm ban on such clinical trials. But now efforts are being made to lift this ban so that every living being can get benefit from medical cannabis.

The ban is taken very seriously by research institutes. Last year when FDA classified every cannabis extract as a Schedule 1 drug, the University of Pennsylvania stopped their clinical trials halfway. Companies selling MMJ products for animals were also threatened with legal consequences for dealing in unapproved veterinary drugs.

The American Veterinary Medical Association, after witnessing some benefits of CBD for animals, has appealed the DEA to exclude marijuana from the list of schedule 1 drugs so more research could be done on the veterinary uses of cannabis. The association has also asked the National Veterinarians Organization to work towards this shared goal. A Republican senator from Utah, Orrin Hatch is known for his conservative thoughts unexpectedly became a champion of clinical trials of cannabis products by introducing a related bill in the Senate. Hatch doesn’t endorse the recreational use of cannabis but wants FDA-approved MMJ products for living beings suffering from different ailments.

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He thinks inadequate scientific support for the use of MMJ products is because of administrative red tapping and strict regulations. Dawn Booth, a medical researcher from Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine, is waiting for the federal approval to go ahead with studying cannabis’s effect on dogs suffering from epilepsy.

He says classifying cannabis with strong and detrimental substances such as LSD and heroin is a major roadblock for scientists. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania were studying CBD’ action on pets suffering from pruritis and osteoarthritis when DEA released the warning regarding clinical trials.

Michael DiGregorio, the director of clinical trials at the university lamented the way federal approval was given to study the effects of cannabis. Researchers are told to provide specific data which can’t be produced until the research get completed.

Dr. Byron Maas, a veterinarian, said many of his clients had reported the beneficial effects of CBD oils on their pets suffering from arthritis, epilepsy, anxiety, and inflammations. He thinks that more research work is needed to have extensive use of CBD products to address medical sufferings of animals.

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Some veterinaries don’t recommend medical cannabis for pets because of a large number of unknowns associated with its products due to lack of research. Janet Ladyga, running a veterinary clinic, doesn’t prescribe cannabis products for pets because of the unavailability of data on their toxicity and other side effects.

Colorado State University is going to conduct a research study on the effects of CBD oil on dogs suffering from epilepsy and arthritis. Stephanie McGrath, the principal researcher of the study, thinks this research work will give ways to more extensive studies in the domain.

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