California: A dog is prescribed medical cannabis

In Los Angeles, a six-year-old black Labrador named Cayley consumes medicinal cannabis made from cannabidiol (CBD) to combat anxiety. Her owner, 30-year-old American Brett Hartmann, explains that since his dog has been using medicinal cannabis, her anxiety has disappeared. Mr. Hartmann had epileptic seizures himself and used medical cannabis to treat them, which made Cayley anxious because she used to be there to calm him down. «She didn't take the transition well, but CBD really helped her,» he says.

In California, the use of cannabis medicinal and therapeutic is legal. The state's cannabis industry is booming and becoming one of the largest in the US. The legal marijuana market will bring in more than $5 billion in California.

Alison Ettel, founder of Treatwell Health, a US company specializing in the sale of medical cannabis, explains: «We're recording sales growth of 20% every month, and the results are very encouraging». The company's founder has been treating animals (mainly dogs) for 10 years. She explains that the number of animal patients has increased over the last decade.

The cannabis oils Treatwell's medical products for pets are available in liquid form, a cannabis extraction which can be placed directly in the animal's mouth or food. For a cat or dog, count on doses of less than 9mg of CBD, and for larger and broader animals, more than 9mg.

In the United States, cannabis used for medical purposes is legal in only 29 states. At federal level, it remains illegal, and the country's veterinarians cannot prescribe it for animals. Consequently, owners must obtain a medical cannabis card in order to supply their pets with cannabis at dispensaries set up for this purpose.

The advantage of therapeutic cannabis for sick animals over other conventional medicines when used properly is that it shows no side effects. It's also cheaper than conventional medicines. However, vets say it's no miracle cure either. There's no guarantee that an animal with symptoms like Cayley's and his anxiety won't have them again if he stops the treatment.

Mehdi Bautier.