Medical Marijuana Has Gone To The Dogs!

[smokeythebear]

http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/07/pot_for_spot_medical_marijuana_patch_developed_for.php

 

A Seattle company is developing a medical marijuana patch for pets, calling it a "question of quality of life."

 

 

Jim Alekson's Medical Marijuana Delivery Systems LLC has patented the patch, called Tetracan, and says it could be used on dogs, cats, and even horses, reports Eric Wilkinson at KING 5 News.

 

 

Of course, to buy the patches you'd need to be a medical marijuana patient yourself, since Rover can't get an authorization from the veterinarian -- at least, not yet.

 

 

The company intends to press for changes in state law that would allow vets to prescribe medical cannabis for pets, something that currently isn't allowed, reports Jonathan Walczak at Seattle Weekly.

 

 

"It is our intention, once the patch delivery system is perfected, to approach states for approval to use the patch for veterinary use," Alekson said.

 

 

According to Alekson, "dogs suffer form the same maladies that humans do," and pets can suffer greatly from pain, everything from arthritis to cancer. He said that harsh pharmaceutical painkillers have proven harmful, sometimes fatal in animals (I'd add the same warning for humans, too).

 

 

Alekson, who owns three Paipillon dogs, said marijuana is safer for pets.

 

 

"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.

 

 

The patch was developed and patented back in 2000 by Walter Cristobal, a member of the Santa Ana Pueblo Tribe of New Mexico.

 

 

"In the 1990s, while seeking to alleviate his mother's arthritis pain, Cristobal started developing a topical solution that could deliver the therapeutic benefits of marijuana through the skin," reports Paul Rogers at Culture.

 

 

Cristobal didn't have the time or organization to bring his product to market, so when business partners Chester Soliz and Jim Alekson learned of his patent, the three of them formed MMDS, "a company devoted to the advancement, research and development of marijuana delivery modalities," last year.

 

 

In February, Cristobal said he was excited to work with Medical Marijuana Delivery Systems "to finally be able to bring the patch and other new delivery systems like creams, gels and oils to people and animals in need of chronic pain management."

 

 

Another company, this one in the business of "addiction treatment," is also developing a THC transdermal patch "for the treatment of marijuana dependence and withdrawal," whatever that's supposed to be. That patch supposedly delivers "low, steady levels of THC," and "patients don't experience the euphoria," at least if AllTranz Inc.'s spokesperson, Dr. Nora Volkow, is to be believed.

 

 

I know what you're wondering, and the answer is yes. According to the developers, the MMDS patch would be available for human use, as well. They hope to have it ready for market by the end of this year.