We often discuss how any legislative action ripples outward with unintended consequences— some desired, some not. This is also true with cannabis legalization and regulation in the adult-use market. A positive outcome is the proliferation of previously ancillary cannabis products like tinctures, topicals, and edibles.
Most newcomers struggle with edibles, because it’s tricky to comprehend proper dosages and wait times when learning to digest cannabis instead of smoke it. (Hence why “8 Things You Need To Know About Eating Marijuana Edibles” is one of our most popular stories ever.) Though one Colorado doctor believes humans shouldn’t have recreational access to edibles due to our misunderstanding their potency, the creature most struggling with edibles are dogs. Yes, dogs a.k.a. man’s best friend.
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The ASPCA Poison Control Center has experienced a 765% increase of weed-related calls for dogs over the past 10 years. Part of this is because people have left their edibles and other weed products in the open and dogs keep vacuuming them up.
But another and definitely stinkier problem involves dogs eating human feces tainted with marijuana, according to a report from Bay Area public radio station KQED. Due in part to San Francisco’s rising homeless population, there’s poop available on the streets for our canine friends to gobble up. Considering dogs love sniffing each other’s butts, the idea they might eat human crap isn’t so much an idea out of left field.
“Dogs will get into anything and everything,” said Dr. Dorrie Black, a San Francisco-based veterinarian, told KQED.
Common causes of dogs accidentally consuming cannabis products include “eating the remainder of a joint, or getting into someone’s edible marijuana, either at home, on the street or in parks,” says Dr. Black.
“Dogs love that scent, to them it’s perfume,” she added.
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In previously writing about dogs eating edibles, I begged people to lock up their marijuana treats in a place where Fido can’t find them. Now I’ll make a similar plea—please don’t let Fido eat human crap. I never thought I’d have to tell someone that, but here we are in a world where dogs eating someone’s dung will result in them getting a nasty contact high. Dare to dream, kids. Dare to dream.
