Most pet owners would do almost anything to rid their pet of chronic pain or arthritis issues, but how many would look to medical cannabis for results?
In marijuana-friendly Western Washington, there are a handful of new companies that are offering cannabis-infused capsules and marijuana biscuits made for pets. In fact, shops like these have recently started popping up all around the U.S.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently sent letters to these establishments warning them to stop making medical claims to pet owners that have yet to be proven. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound that is found in cannabis, is not the problem. The claims that the companies are making are the issue.
Specifically, the FDA wants these companies to stop claiming that the pot-infused dog products help with the symptoms of dementia, asthma, and cancer. A few companies in other states received the same letters, but none of the information in the letters gave any clarification on the ramifications associated with the legally gray and growing market for CBD oil.
Lisa Anderson, co-owner of Canna Companion, one of the companies in Washington that received a letter from the FDA, made it very clear that it was not the products that her store was selling, but rather how they worded the claims about the health benefits that the products offer.
Her store is currently working with the FDA to fix any issues; this includes changing the information on their website. She, along with many of her customers, still believe that the cannabis-infused dog products work and that CBD is not the only chemical in the formula that helps ease pain.
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Blatant claims about the effects of a drug are problematic for any substance that has not gone through the FDA’s drug approval process. With the legalization of marijuana becoming a hot topic in many parts of the country, the FDA is starting to realize that it needs to work on policies for products containing the drug.
Currently, there is very little knowledge about the effects of CBD on animals, so it is impossible to say for sure whether these products actually provide dogs with relief from the pain or not. Studies on the effects of medical marijuana on humans have been steadily increasing in the last couple of years, and it is only a matter of time before researchers start looking into the effects on canines and other animals.
