Cannabis businesses face opposition from anti-marijuana advocates worried about the drug falling into the hands of children. Now they also must battle fears about the impact of marijuana on animals.
A DEA agent warned a legislative panel in Utah debating whether to allow CBD-based edibles that cannabis legalization could lead to fields of stoned rabbits.
Special Agent Matt Fairbanks – a member of the DEA’s marijuana eradication team in Utah – said that during his time eliminating cannabis production on public lands, he encountered rabbits that had become addicted to the plants and lost their fear of humans.
His contention is that planting marijuana could have harmful effects on the environment.
While animals certainly could consume cannabis grown in fields, the Washington Post’s Wonkblog made note that one way to prevent that is to, in fact, allow legal cultivation in warehouses and greenhouses.
The legislative committee was unswayed and approved the bill, sending it to the full Utah Senate for debate.
