Subcommittee recommends CAC consult experts, tighten limits for cannabis pet products under AB 1885

The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) medicinal use subcommittee on July 10 recommended the Cannabis Advisory Committee (CAC) seek expert input and adopt precautionary measures as the DCC develops regulations required by Assembly Bill 1885 to govern cannabis products for animals.

The subcommittee’s recommendation — passed by motion and second — asked the CAC to consult subject-matter experts on terpene toxicity, address packaging concerns, limit allowed product forms to tinctures, chews and topicals, prohibit products intended for inhalation or combustion, exclude synthesized cannabinoids from animal products, adopt more stringent action limits for compliance laboratory testing, and add labeling that directs pet owners to consult a veterinarian and warns about drug interactions and accidental overdose.

The motion was made by Chair Sarah Payan and seconded by Member Antonio Frazier. The motion passed during the meeting; no roll-call tally was read into the transcript.

Why it matters: AB 1885 requires the DCC to develop veterinary product regulations by July 1, 2025. The subcommittee’s recommendations aim to reduce risks to animals from inappropriate formulations, contaminants and dosing errors, and to align testing and labeling with animals’ differing metabolisms and sizes.

Subcommittee discussion and public comment centered on safety and access. Charles Lozo, chair of the Advocacy Committee of the Veterinary Cannabis Society, told the panel the society supplied a memorandum with line-by-line responses to DCC questions and offered veterinary expertise to help craft rules. “We have some of the best experts on medical cannabinoids for veterinary application,” Lozo said. Dr. Tim Hsu, president of the Pet Cannabis Coalition and an author of AB 1885 implementation input, reiterated industry experience with pet products and offered to assist regulators.

Public commenters urged multiple safeguards. Several veterinarians and pet owners asked for mandatory label language advising consultation with a veterinarian and listing potential drug interactions; one suggested including instructions to discontinue use and contact a veterinarian in case of accidental overdose. The Veterinary Cannabis Society recommended limiting edible-type treats to the same THC per-serving and per-package caps used for human edibles (the society suggested 10 mg THC per serving and 100 mg per package in its memorandum). Multiple commenters called for testing standards that specifically account for pets’ sensitivity to pesticides, solvents and contaminants and for action limits keyed to animal safety rather than human-only thresholds.

Committee members discussed tradeoffs between access and safeguards. Some members expressed concern that requiring a veterinarian’s prescription would reduce access and push pet owners toward unregulated hemp or online products; others emphasized that labeling and retail guidance should make clear veterinarians are the appropriate source of dosing and drug-interaction advice. The subcommittee suggested the CAC evaluate packaging that reduces the risk of pets accessing products (commenters recommended packaging more like pet medications or thicker child-resistant pouches that pets cannot chew through).

The motion to forward these recommendations to the CAC was amended during the meeting to explicitly include discussion of warning labels on drug interactions and instructions to contact a veterinarian and discontinue use in the event of suspected overdose; that amended language was included in the motion that passed.

Next steps: The DCC staff confirmed it will review all public comments and memos submitted to the subcommittee and incorporate input into regulatory drafting. The subcommittee’s recommendation will be presented to the full CAC for consideration as DCC develops proposed regulations ahead of the statutory deadline.