New York's recreational cannabis legalisation has produced an unexpected casualty: the city's dog population. Veterinarians across the city are reporting a sharp increase in pets arriving at their clinics in an intoxicated state.
Discarded joint remnants are the primary source of exposure, though dogs have also been found consuming cannabis-infused edibles such as gummies and chocolate bars. Secondhand smoke is another avenue of exposure for the animals.
Reports indicate that where vets once handled roughly one such case a month, they are now dealing with several every week.
Because dogs have a higher density of cannabinoid receptors than humans, even modest amounts of cannabis can prove highly toxic to them.
Deaths remain uncommon, but the drug can cause loss of coordination, trouble walking, nausea, and in some instances, hallucinations.
When a dog arrives visibly affected, the vet's immediate goal is to clear the substance from its system, typically by inducing vomiting. More serious cases may require stomach pumping and anti-anxiety medication to ease distress.
Owners are being advised to train their dogs to avoid picking up discarded food and litter from the street.
Another approach, of course, would be for people to stop discarding cannabis products on the ground to begin with.
In other news, a German company is advertising for a "cannabis sommelier" position offering a salary of up to A$154k annually.
Cologne-based Cannamedical, which supplies medicinal cannabis products to German pharmacies, wants the successful applicant to "smell, feel and smoke" the product as part of the role.
CEO David Henn told Bild they would also be responsible for reviewing and monitoring "the standards of our growers in the sourcing countries of Australia, Canada, Portugal, Macedonia and Denmark".
Predictably, the position has attracted a flood of applications after UK tabloid The Sun dubbed it "the best job in the world".
There is, however, a catch: the hired candidate must reside in Germany and be an active participant in the country's medical system.
