We're in the habit of discouraging any sort of drug use whatsoever, but folks, if you've got some marijuana-infused cake pops lying around, for goodness' sake, keep them out of reach of children and pets:
Study author Jibran Khokhar, a researcher studying substance use at the University of Guelph in Ontario, and his colleagues had noticed a recent increase in reports of pets coming down with cannabis overdose. But these reports were anecdotal and often lacking important information like the actual outcomes for the animals.
So his team decided to conduct a survey of over 200 veterinarians in both the U.S. and Canada in 2021, asking them to recall the pet overdose cases they came across before and after 2018, the year that cannabis was fully legalized nationally in Canada. Though cannabis is still banned at the federal level in the U.S., it's now legal in a majority of states, including many where it's allowed recreationally. And since 2018, more than a dozen states have legalized or decriminalized it.
Around two-thirds of vets reported no major change in the amount of poisoning (also called toxicosis) cases they saw annually after 2018, but the rest did see a change, most often an increase in cases.
Really? Really? Who among you is making it easy for your Schnauzers and ferrets to down a hit of ganja? Is it really that hard to keep it in the fridge or on top of the china cabinet?
The researchers, meanwhile, are interested in pursuing this further:
Even though some deaths ... were reported in association with cannabis toxicosis, the presence of confounders such as toxins, and underlying conditions cannot be ruled out, emphasizing the need for rigorous controlled laboratory studies to investigate this important issue.
Ahh, so as part of their studies they want to get more pets high.
I think I'll keep it old-fashioned and let my pets (yes, I, Harambe have pets) get high off of Beggin' Strips and Kong frisbees, thank you so much!
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