It wasn’t long ago that the DEA was trying to scare people away from legalizing weed because wild rabbits would get stoned. Now one brave Nevada senator wants to stand up for a rabbit’s right to get high—for strictly medical purposes, of course.
Democratic state senator Tick Segerblom wants to ensure that animals have access to legal weed, should a veterinarian deem that necessary. And while he admits that some animals might not react well to the drug, “you don’t know until you try.” Amen!
Segerblom added the measure to an existing, people-focused medical marijuana bill, after a constituent talked to him about the pot for pets cause. It would allow Nevada animals to get their very own medical marijuana cards at the advice of a doctor.
“People these days believe that marijuana can cure everything under the sun,” he told the Los Angeles Times, “from the inability to eat if you’re terminally ill to problems with your nervous system. So if your dog has a nerve disease or uncontrollable tremors, this might be able to help it.”
Some veterinarians already swear by the remedy, with one telling the Associated Press several years ago that medical pot comforted his aging Siberian husky until she was eventually put down.
“I grew tired of euthanizing pets when I wasn’t doing everything I could to make their lives better,” he said. “I felt like I was letting them down.”
And, the LA Times notes, at least one company is already dipping into the medical-THC-for-animals market:
According to the company’s website, the product is legal because it “is not intended for human consumption, it meets the current definition of hemp supplements under United States federal law.” The company says that in higher concentrations, some compounds in pot “can be toxic to dogs and cats. That is one reason we do not advocate blowing marijuana smoke in your pet’s face or administering human medical grade Cannabis to pets.”
