A survey of veterinary student attitudes concerning whether marijuana could have therapeutic value for animals

The recent legalization of marijuana in Canada heralds significant changes in society, and Canada is the second country in the world to have legalized marijuana for general use. Although veterinarians in Canada can legally prescribe medical marijuana under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, there are currently no available animal products that would be approved by Health Canada.

With the recent change in the legal status of cannabis herb in society, there has been growing debate about the potential therapeutic and overall health benefits of cannabis products. Thus, it seems reasonable to expect increased public interest in the potential therapeutic use of marijuana for animals (especially domestic animals). Such interest, however, would put veterinarians in an unusual situation: The public has an interest in a potential therapeutic agent that veterinarians cannot prescribe due to a lack of animal approved drugs. Besides, concerns about marijuana in animals have so far prevailed among veterinarians and researchers because of its role as a toxicant rather than as a potential therapeutic agent.

With this in mind, a study was conducted among students of the Ontario Veterinary College to obtain data on veterinarians’ attitudes towards the use of marijuana as a potential therapeutic agent in animals and the reasons for their beliefs. College students were given questionnaires to gather information from a group of future veterinarians. This pilot study was carried out as a first step towards understanding how veterinarians respond to this rapidly evolving field of medical research. It is also hoped that the research will contribute to a more thorough study and discussion of this emerging and potentially controversial topic in veterinary medicine. The results of the study were published on the NCBI portal.