4 minute read
Mirjam Guesgen, VetScript Editor
by VetScript
www.nzva.org.nz
VetScript
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AUGUST 2020 • VOL 33 • NO 7 ISSN 1170-280X
COVER IMAGE The cannabis conundrum ( IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM )
VetScript is published monthly (except January) by the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) as a service to its members.
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Legalisation for all?
Kiwis will soon be asked whether we should legalise the sale, use, possession and production of cannabis. Where will it leave veterinarians and the animals in their care?
THE LEGALISATION OF recreational cannabis in Canada was, by many accounts, an uneventful legal change. In the days and months that followed 17 October 2018 (legalisation day) Canadians did not descend into a munchie-driven stupor. The nation’s productivity levels didn’t suddenly grind to a halt as people stayed home to chill on the couch with their supplies. This lack of change isn’t anecdotal. Statistics Canada data gathered in 2019 revealed that the number of people who reported using cannabis in the previous three months, particularly 15- to 24-year-olds, was almost identical pre- and post-legalisation.
Pre-legalisation I worked in a boutique dog store in Toronto. It was the kind of place that sold organic dog food and an array of Instagram-worthy accessories and bedding. The store also sold cannabidiol (CBD) tinctures – hemp-derived products with no actual CBD – packaged in attractive amber dropper bottles. They were particularly popular with customers who had older canines. I shied away from talking about the products unless someone mentioned them first, because I was unsure about their efficacy and legitimacy. Customers told me they were seeing great results, but were they just seeing what they wanted to see?
While Canada’s legalisation of cannabis products for people had the impact of a gentle wave on the seashore, pet owners were left out at sea. A growing number of people were seeking alternatives, or additions, to their animals’ pain, seizure or appetite medications, but there were (and still are) no products available intended for animals that veterinarians could prescribe. Instead, the veterinarians were left trying to figure out the ramifications of human health and drug legislation for them and their clients. Pet owners were largely left to their own devices, either at the mercy of companies peddling hemp products claiming to be CBD or administering their own, human-intended, supplies to their animals.
When I spoke last month to Sarah Silcox, President of the Canadian Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine, she told me about the immense struggle her team had undergone to make headway in clarifying what veterinarians could and couldn’t advise when it came to cannabis. While a large part of that struggle came from veterinarians not being included in the legalisation conversation, a lingering stigma around cannabis use was affecting the views of some veterinarians.
New Zealand is at the precipice of recreational cannabis legalisation. We know that Kiwis are already using cannabis and we know they’re already giving it to their pets. To deny that the plant is an issue for veterinarians is naïve. It takes the veterinary profession down the same path as Canada’s.
Whatever your personal thoughts about the plant, I urge you to consider the reality of the situation. Learn about the legalities of cannabis and the efficacy of the products. The feature on page 32 is a good starting point, but use your own expert networks to do more research.
