Ernie has arthritis, but he already acts stoned all the time. Will he be able to "maintain" with a transdermal pot patch?
On February 22, Medical Marijuana Delivery Systems LLC announced that it had acquired a patent for a new marijuana delivery system, the Tetracan patch, which should be available at medical marijuana dispensaries in United States by 2012.
Working similarly to nicotine patches, Tetracan provides the “transcutaneous delivery of medical marijuana to humans and animals” to manage the pain of arthritis, cancer and other crippling diseases.
Yep, animals. Okay, this is an old story, but I had no idea there was a pot patch for pets!
According to MMDS president Jim Alekson, Tetracan the patch is a safer alternative than pharmaceutical pain management drugs like Deramaxx, Metacam or Rimadyl, which can have serious side effects.
“I’d much rather they were on something holistic as opposed to something chemical that I know is breaking down some of the organs in their body,” Alekson said.
Ingesting marijuana can be fatal to animals, but veterinarians haven’t yet reached an agreement on the safety of transdermal delivery. MMDS probably isn’t investing millions of dollars in developing something that will kill people’s pets, so I’m going to assume for now that it’s safe.
Although I support medical marijuana for humans (I live in California), I’m not sure how I feel about using it on my dogs. Sure, it’s a better option than blowing smoke in their ears (this does not work, BTW), but still, does my dog really need to get high?
As it happens, I have two old dogs with arthritis and at least a dozen pot stores within a five-mile radius from my home. Maybe I will try Tetracan, as long as it’s affordable. Right now I’m dropping a fat wad on Deramaxx for Ernie, a 9-year-old pit-boxer mix that we are fostering.
What I really want to know is whether pets will abuse the system like many humans do, feigning “insomnia” to get a prescription. Will you need to take your cat to a special pot doctor to get the prescription? Will you need to stock up on treats for when your dog gets the munchies? How can you tell when your bird is stoned?
What do you think about the pot patch for pets? If you live in a state that has legalized medical marijuana, will you consider Tetracan for your arthritic pet? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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