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ALTON - If you were curious, Taralei Griffin is here to tell you: No, insects cannot get high on cannabis.
Griffin, the retail manager at Moon Drops, LLC, stopped by Our Daily Show to share some animal facts on the monthly Cannabis Education Segment. She explained the ways that CBD can help pets, and she shared stories about other animals who consume psychoactive drugs.
But first, she has something to clarify.
“CBD is not intoxicating,” Griffin said. “A lot of people get confused by that, because CBD relaxes you, it helps with anxiety, so how is it not intoxicating? But it isn’t.”
Moon Drops sells a variety of products that contain CBD, or cannabidiol, which is derived from hemp plants but does not cause the high typically associated with cannabis. Tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, is the substance in cannabis that causes psychoactive effects. Griffin explained that CBD is “not that part of the plant.”
CBD can treat a long list of ailments, including chronic pain, insomnia and anxiety. Moon Drops is having a sale on CBD pet tincture this week to help anxious pets cope with 4th of July fireworks.
“If your dogs are nervous with fireworks or any sort of noise, it’ll be really helpful,” Griffin added.
CBD is nontoxic, but pets should not be exposed to THC. People who consume THC should keep their cannabis out of pets’ reach, and avoid smoking near your pets, as even secondhand smoke is toxic to cats and dogs. If you think your pet has consumed marijuana, go to the veterinarian immediately.
All of that being said, Griffin does have several funny stories of animals around the world who regularly consume drugs. She shared an anecdote about jaguars who eat banisteriopsis caapi. This vine contains dimethyltryptamine — more commonly known as DMT — and has hallucinogenic and psychedelic effects.
“It’s like catnip on steroids for them,” Griffin said of the jaguars. She explained that jaguars will eat the vine to induce vomiting when ill. “But before they can do this cleanse, the hallucinogenic properties do take effect. So the jaguars are out there tripping.”
Meanwhile in Tasmania, wallabies break into poppy farms to eat the flowers, which are main ingredients in opium. This makes for a wild night for wallabies (and the farmers who find them asleep in the fields the next morning).
“[Wallabies] are the cause of crop circles there, because they will eat so much of the narcotic plants that they will then just get super high and begin running in circles in the fields until they just collapse,” Griffin said, adding that this is “one of [her] favorite facts about animals and drugs.”
DMT and opium aren’t for sale at Moon Drops, of course, but the store is happy to share information about THC and CBD with curious customers. Learn more about Moon Drops at their Facebook page. For more cannabis facts, you can check out the monthly Cannabis Education Segment on Our Daily Show.
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