Dog
True Leaf wants to provide dogs with natural alternative to veterinary meds. Egizia

Would you treat your furry pal to a bit of marijuana?

True Leaf Medicine International, a Canada-based licensed producer of medicinal marijuana, wants to create treats that will provide "a better quality of life" for man's best friend.

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The company already manufactures hemp-based products for dogs to treat joint pain, anxiety and inflammation but wants to move forward using cannabis extracts in dog chews.

True Leaf is trying to gather about C$10m (£5.7m, US$7.7m) through crowdfunding to open a marijuana production plant in British Columbia.

Its ultimate goal is to treat both people and pets with one marijuana component, cannabidiol - CBD. Unlike THC, the principal psychoactive component of cannabis, cannabidiol does not have any intoxicating properties. It can be used to regulate anxiety and muddled thinking. Also unlike THC, CBD is not toxic to pets.

"People are spending more money to look after their pets, specifically as they get older," True Leaf CEO Darcy Bomford told Bloomberg.

"A lot of the drugs that are available in the veterinary market are effective and they work but they also have a lot of side-effects. There's a big market there for natural products."

True Leaf sells chews and oils in 1,600 US stores and more than 300 locations across Europe.

The use of medicinal marijuana on dogs is a rising trend.

Peta's director of international programmes, Mimi Bekhechi, told IBTimes UK: "Peta supports the administration of responsibly prescribed medical marijuana to companion animals when it's used in order to relieve pain and suffering."

"Dogs in pain should be given the same consideration that humans in pain are, and if cannabis treats can truly help alleviate their discomfort, regular doses would be appropriate."