Veterinarians in Nevada are the first in the country able to officially treat animals with cannabinoids, including CBD. Starting on October 1, vets are clear to recommend and administer cannabinoid and hemp products with a THC threshold of 0.3% or less in Nevada.
The American Veterinary Medical Association will not sanction vets who administer cannabinoid products as could have been previously done. Though CBD is commonly sold through veterinary channels in many states, there was always the concern over sanctions on vets for actually administering. At least in Nevada, those concerns are no more.
Previously, vets in the state of Nevada could face consequences for using CBD products for animals not yet approved by the FDA. The Food and Drug Administration allows doctors to prescribe CBD to epilepsy in humans, but the cannabinoid remains on the no-fly list for vets. The move by Nevada legislators is a step in the direction of all veterinarians being allowed to eventually prescribe CBD for epilepsy in dogs similarly to the way doctors do for humans. Nevada Assemblyman Steve Yeager hopes this can make way for more veterinary cannabinoid use in other states.
“I certainly hope that other states follow Nevada’s lead and provide reassurances to licensed veterinarians that they can administer CBD or talk about it with patients without fear of facing disciplinary proceedings,” Yeager said.
As all aspects of the hemp and cannabinoid markets, the realm of CBD for pets is ever-growing with a predicted $300 to $500 million in sales by 2025 according to analytic giant NielsonIQ.
**This article was last updated on 9/18/2021**
