The proposal is in its earliest stages and faces several legislative hurdles before it could become law.
The pot-for-pets provision of SB372 is part of a larger bill that would overhaul the state's medical marijuana law, removing penalties for drivers who have marijuana in their blood and requiring training for pot-shop owners. Segerblom says he added the provision after being approached by a constituent and that he's concerned some animals might have adverse reactions, but "you don't know until you try."
Some veterinarians who've given cannabis to sick and dying pets say it has relieved their symptoms, although the substance hasn't been proven as a painkiller for animals.
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Shortly before he died in 2013, LA veterinarian Doug Kramer told the AP that pot helped Nikita, his Siberian husky, gain weight after surgery to remove tumors and relieve her pain during the six weeks before she was eventually euthanized.
"I grew tired of euthanizing pets when I wasn't doing everything I could to make their lives better," Kramer told the AP. "I felt like I was letting them down."