IS IT LEGAL TO USE CBD FOR YOUR DOG? THE ANSWER IS YES! HERE'S THE CURRENT LAW AND THE HISTORY
*Disclaimer: This article is not meant to serve as a substitute for veterinary advice. Dr.Hempdog believes firmly in the contents of this article because of the thorough research that backs it up and our own experiences with the thousands of dogs that we have helped through the years (including our own). You should always defer to your veterinarian when adding anything to your dog's unique wellness routine.
We’ve been in the CBD industry since the beginning, so we’ve heard (and answered) almost every question out there about the legality of CBD. Our journey started in 2015 when it first became legal to grow and possess hemp—yet just because it was legal, didn’t mean there weren’t major complications that we had to overcome (oh, the stories we can tell!). Thankfully, legislation has finally caught up to the many studies supporting CBD’s medical benefits and safety:
It’s now completely legal to buy, possess, and use CBD for your dog, provided that it’s sourced from federally compliant industrial hemp.
- “Industrial hemp” refers to any strain of Cannabis* with 0.3% THC or less (Dr.Hempdog falls under this category!)
- As mentioned earlier, CBD derived from industrial hemp is entirely legal to produce, sell, transport, and buy across all fifty states as of the 2018 Farm Bill.
- Marijuana (any strain of Cannabis with more than 0.3% THC) is a schedule 1 drug, which may or may not be legal for you depending on state legislation.
- Even if your state has lax regulations, we don’t recommend giving your dog marijuana-derived CBD, since studies show that marijuana is toxic to dogs due to this high THC content.
Ok, But Can Your Veterinarian Prescribe CBD? It’s Complicated.
Although CBD is legal, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your veterinarian can prescribe it. Furthermore, some veterinarians aren’t very familiar with how to effectively dose CBD for dogs, which can make things even more difficult.
No federal or state laws directly govern the use of CBD in veterinary practices (except for in California, where vets are explicitly allowed to discuss CBD with their clients). However, veterinary licensing boards often forbid the prescription or recommendation of CBD products, even when they’re sourced from industrial hemp.
Despite these regulations, some veterinarians consider it a direct conflict of ethics to not explore the potential of CBD in animals, citing these telling lines from the Veterinarians’ Oath:
“… I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for… the protection of animal health and welfare [and] the prevention and relief of animal suffering…”
If you’re interested in using CBD for your dog, most veterinarians can at least discuss it with you to make sure you’re using it safely. Even if your vet can’t or won’t talk about it (or doesn’t feel very comfortable with their knowledge of CBD), they can still refer you to another health professional to make sure you get the answers you need.
The Story of How Hemp and CBD Became Legal
The legal landscape surrounding CBD really only came into its own in the past decade; before 2014, cannabinoids were still outlawed as schedule 1 drugs alongside the likes of heroin, despite evidence proving that the vast majority of cannabinoids are non-psychoactive, medicinally valuable compounds.
We’ve had to overcome all sorts of illogical state laws, government scare tactics, and financial issues to get to where we stand today—but fortunately, those experiences gave us some great stories to tell.
In the rest of this article, we’ll explain the fascinating history behind the ever-evolving legal landscape of CBD, its more nuanced aspects, and our experiences for those who are interested!
Some Key Context Before We Start:
Although we understand the science and safety behind CBD and hemp these days, that hasn’t always been the case. For thousands of years, farmers have grown Cannabis for industrial, religious, social, dietary, and even painkilling purposes, yet until very recently, no formal distinction between hemp, marijuana, and Cannabis existed due to a lack of scientific understanding. People used “hempseed,” “marijuana,” “marihuana,” “Cannabis,” “industrial hemp,” and countless other terms to refer to the Cannabis plant, yet none directly translated to our modern-day, legal definition of hemp and marijuana.
- From The Pharmacohistory of Cannabis Sativa: Cannabinoids as Therapeutic Agents
Hazy Origins
~1800s |
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1899 |
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The Criminalization of Cannabis
Early ~1900s |
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1925 |
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1937 |
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1942 |
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1940 |
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1963 to 1966 |
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1970 |
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1980 |
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1990 to 1993 |
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1996 |
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2000 |
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Modern Day Hemp Legalization
2014 |
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2015 |
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2017 |
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2018 |
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2019 |
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The Future of Hemp: What Can We Expect?
So, what now? We still have a long ways to go towards studying the incredible potential of hemp and CBD, yet current findings show incredible promise already. CBD legislation and FDA regulation will likely continue to evolve with the advent of new research and continued public education efforts, as we slowly work to repair the damage done by over a century of Cannabis misinformation and criminalization.
We Can Answer Any Additional Questions
If you have any questions about how you can use CBD to help your dog, you can schedule a free, 15-minute consultation with our team by visiting our website, emailing us at woof@drhempdog.com, or contacting us at (720) 773-9595. We have years of experience helping thousands of dogs to be successful with our best-in-class CBD products, so we’re intimately familiar with all relevant CBD legislation as well as how to properly dose CBD products for dogs.