Medicinal marijuana has been shown to successfully manage seizures and treat pain. Now these benefits are being applied to dogs, as more owners turn to CBD for ailing pets.
“Biscuits, edibles, and capsules containing non-psychoactive cannabinoid compounds like cannabidiol (“CBD”) are being marketed to owners of ailing and elderly animals as a way to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Since they do not contain any tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”), the products don’t produce the “high” associated with marijuana and some human-focused medical and recreational cannabis edibles and other products.”
Increasingly, companies are stepping up to meet pet owners’ needs by producing hemp-based, CBD-infused pet products. Though these treats are currently legal to sell, the FDA is taking notice.
“Companies in California, Oregon, and Washington are making these hemp-based products, including publicly traded companies like Peak Pharmaceuticals Inc. (PKPH 0.1149 -25.39%), Greenhouse Solutions Inc. (GRSU 0.274 -8.05%) and American Green Inc. (ERBB 0.0033 -4.90%).
Since hemp is completely legal to sell in food products, following the infamous HIA v. DEA lawsuit, these companies are free to sell the products without approvals. That doesn’t mean that regulators haven’t taken any action.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) took a bite out of the industry in February of 2015 when it issued several warning letters to firms that were “marketing unapproved drugs for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of diseases.”
Learn more about the benefits of CBD for treating pain in this study published in the journal Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, and titled “Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain”.
Photo by R+R Medicinals on Unsplash