Animal Health Solutions

27 Q2 2021 | Animal Health Solutions Navigating the "dos and don'ts" of controlled substance compliance is an ongoing challenge in human and veterinary medicine. The need to maintain compliance while simultaneously keeping up with 24/7 operations and ever-changing regulatory requirements has led many businesses to carve out new positions (and departments) dedicated solely to regulatory oversight. Controlled substances regulations alone can keep an entire regulatory team busy; which is why adding the regulatory "gray space" of cannabidiol (CBD) regulatory requirements often perpetuates confusion leaving even the most compliant professionals scratching their heads. While confusion surrounding CBD regulations (and the proper use of CBD as an alternative treatment method) abounds, the demand for CBD products continues to increase. This is particularly true concerning CBD in the veterinary industry. According to Dr. Peter Weinstein, Executive Director for the SCVMA and President of Simple Solutions for Vets, "The problem is that clients want to use CBD for their pets, but most veterinarians don't have enough knowledge regarding the 'how', 'when' and 'why' when it comes to incorporating CBD into veterinary medicine, while negotiating the all too fluid laws regarding CBD." As the demand for CBD surges, so do questions from pet owners seeking advice concerning its use for their animal family members. At the end of the day, CBD rules and requirements are still very "gray". As the trusted veterinarian, where does that leave you? The evolution of CBD Understanding how the CBD market has evolved is important. In summary, CBD became available in the human market to consumers circa 2012 for use by individuals suffering from severe forms of epilepsy and/or other critical illnesses. CBD's early success as an all-natural, homeopathic human treatment alternative, combined with an extensive legally "gray area", gave way to an eruption of CBD in the marketplace; resulting in countless CBD brands, products, and applications hitting the market. Shortly after CBD entered the human homeopathic space, the immersion of CBD into veterinary medicine began. CBD pet products saturated the industry boasting "miracle cures" for pet health ailments including pain relief, separation anxiety, aggressive tendencies, anti-inflammatory properties, and more. CBD became the bright, shiny new object that everyone wanted a piece of; further driving pet owners to seek out more information from veterinarians. As lack of clarity mounted for pet owners, veterinarians were increasingly pressed to provide information and recommendations concerning CBD as an alternative treatment regimen for animals. Veterinarians attempted and continue to seek answers from regulatory authorities who unfortunately not only struggled to provide guidance but were often conflicting. As a result, pet owners and veterinarians alike have been forced into a gray area of uncertainty, confusion, and undue exposure both professionally and legally. As the demand for CBD surges, so do questions from pet owners seeking advice concerning its use for their animal family members.

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