Don’t be fooled by snake oil

CANNABIDIOL (CBD) oil might be all the rage, with producers claiming a cure for everything from sickness to seizures but, as with everything in an unregulated market, it is definitely a case of “Buyer Beware”.

Cannabinoids are the naturally occurring chemicals found in the cannabis plant.

The two main ones are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is psychoactive and CBD, which is not.

Cannabis is the term used for all psychoactive substances derived from the dried leaves and flowers of the plant, while marijuana relates to strains of the plant, which are grown for use as a drug, with more than 0.3 per cent THC.

Hemp is another name for the cannabis plant but only for varieties with less than 0.3 per cent THC.

Additionally, hemp oil is a vegetable oil extracted from cannabis seeds, which is used in food and cosmetics and hemp fibre is utilised in the building and textile industries.

The Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) has handled 447 cases of cannabis poisoning in animals in the last 10 years, following ingestion or smoke inhalation of the drug.

CBD oil is produced from the leaves, flowers and stalks of the cannabis plant and it is reported to have beneficial effects in humans and animals.

It is claimed to be antianxiety, antipsychotic, anticonvulsant, antispasmodic, antibacterial and anticancer.

But my auntie doesn’t believe all that…

There is no doubt that some pet owners are rushing to use it for a variety of reasons, despite the fact that no clinical studies or research has been carried out in the veterinary field.

Last year, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (the body that regulates veterinary medicines in the UK) announced that veterinary products containing CBD would be considered as veterinary medicines and regulated as such.

This puts an onus on producers to demonstrate reliability, safety and efficacy; possibly the reason there are currently no CBD products licensed for veterinary use.

Regardless, one major retailer lists more than 4000 CBD products, none of which is legally required to be tested but all of which should contain less than 0.2 per cent THC in order to be legal.

What I can tell you, however, was that when the Centre for Medical Testing looked closely at 30 CBD products, only 38 per cent of them had CBD levels within 10 per cent of what they claimed, 43 per cent had higher levels and one product, which cost £50, contained no CBD at all.

Maybe I am just an old fuddy-duddy but I’d prefer to know exactly what I was giving my pet.

And why.