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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2018)
May 2 2018 The Skanner Page 9 The Future of Medicinal Marijuana in Pets By Jasmine Streeter, DVM Special to The Skanner News Q uality of life and wellness are at the forefront of every pet owner’s mind. With lon- ger lifespans comes age related disor- ders. R e c e n t l y, many owners with geri- atric pets are turning to medical marijuana, specifically cannabidiol (CBD) as a solution for a variety of chronic and debilitating illnesses. Suprisingly, even with a rise in CBD use and inter- est for pets, current laws haven’t kept up with the trend. Although recreational marijuana is legal in Or- egon, it is still registered as a Schedule 1 control “ Personally, I have seen CBD-de- rived prod- ucts show beneficial therapeu- tic results substance. The Oregon Veterinary Medical Ex- amining Board (OVMEB) currently advises vet- erinarians under its ju- risdiction to use caution in discussing marijua- na use with its clients. There has been little re- search conducted into the effects of THC and CBD compounds due to a delay by regulators. Multiple states like New York, California, Nevada and Utah have introduced bills to allow veterinarians to pre- scribe marijuana and be- gin the path for clinical research. The American Veterinary Medical As- sociation’s policy-mak- ing body said last sum- mer it wants the DEA to declassify marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug “to facil- itate research opportu- nities for veterinary and human medical uses.” Cannabis has been used therapeutically for hun- dreds of years. A recent article in procon.org, “History of Marijuana as Medicine”, sited medici- nal cannabis was refer- enced as early as 2900 BC by the Chinese Emperor Fu Hsi. Cannabis sativa L. can be separated into two main types, non-psy- Genealogy Site Didn’t Know It Was Used To Seek Serial Killer Owners of GEDmatch say they were never approached by law enforcement about use of DNA Dr. Jasmine Shanelle Streeter Veterinarian chotropic hemp, which is high in fiber and CBD but contains low THC, and psychotrophic marijua- na which is high in tetra- hydrocannabinol (THC). Cannabis produces cannabinoids, chemical compounds that act on cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Cannabi- noids are not only found in cannabis but also in plants like echinacea, cacao and black pepper. The two main cannabi- noid receptors in the body which are respon- sible for helping main- tain homeostasis are CB1 and CB2. These receptors are found in a number of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. Dogs contain a large number of CB2 re- ceptors, more than hu- mans, which makes them sensitive to THC. CBD is currently being considered as a treat- ment for conditions such as seizures, inflamma- tion, cancer and behav- ioral issues. Personally, I have seen CBD-derived products show beneficial thera- peutic results for treat- ing arthritis, dermatitis and anxiety in my pets. I have also listened to countless stories from owners of how CBD treat- ment has changed their pet’s life for the better. Moving forward, edu- cation by veterinarians and qualified profession- als, and activism directed towards furthering me- dicinal cannabis clinical research will be needed to move this budding field forward. If you or someone you know has used CBD oil to treat your pet, please contact me. I would love to hear your story. You can ask Dr. Jasmine your pet question or email your pet photo to drjas- mine@theskanner.com. By Michael Balsamo and Jonathan J. Cooper Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A genealogy website that investi- gators used to find the former po- lice officer they believe was one of California’s most terrifying seri- al killers had no idea its services were being used to pursue a sus- pect who eluded law enforcement for four decades. Florida-based GEDmatch said it was never approached by au- thorities or anyone else about the case. The free genealogy website, which pools DNA profiles that people upload and share publicly, says that it has always informed users its database can be used for other purposes. But the site’s co-founder said he has privacy concerns after learn- ing that law enforcement used the site and insists that his company does not “hand out data.” “This was done without our knowledge, and it’s been over- whelming,” Curtis Rogers told The Associated Press. Lead investigator Paul Holes told the Mercury News in San Jose, California, that GEDmatch was one of his team’s biggest tools. Holes said officials did not need a court order to access GEDMatch’s large database of ge- netic blueprints. Ma- jor commercial DNA companies say they do not give law enforce- ment access their ge- netic data without a court order. Joseph James DeAn- gelo, 72, was arrested Tuesday after investi- gators matched crime- scene DNA with genet- ic material stored by a distant relative on an online site. From there, they narrowed it down to the Sacra- mento-area grandfa- ther using DNA ob- tained from material he had discarded, Sac- ramento County Dis- trict Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said. Civil libertarians said the practice rais- es troubling legal and privacy concerns for the millions of people who submit their DNA to such sites to discov- er their heritage. JAY KARR/THE ISLAND PACKET VIA AP News In this March 1, 2018, photo, rape survivor Jane Carson-Sandler, of Sun City Hilton Head, S.C. poses for a photo holding a copy of her book about the experience called, “Frozen in Fear.” Carson-Sandler was one of many victims of a California serial rapist. There are not strong privacy laws to keep police from trolling ancestry site databases, said Steve Mercer, the chief attorney for the forensic division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. “People who submit DNA for ancestors testing are unwitting- ly becoming genetic informants on their innocent family,” Mercer said, adding that they “have fewer privacy protections than convict- “ People who sub- mit DNA for an- cestors testing are unwittingly becoming genet- ic informants on their inno- cent family ed offenders whose DNA is con- tained in regulated databanks.” GEDMatch is a free site where users who have DNA profiles from commercial companies such as Ancestry.com and 23and- Me can upload them to expand their search for relatives. Holes said officials did not need a court order to access GED- Match’s database of genetic blue- prints. DNA was just coming into use as a criminal investigative tool in 1986 when the predator various- ly known as the East Area Rapist and the Golden State Killer appar- ently ended his decade-long wave of attacks. DeAngelo, a former police offi- cer, probably would have known about the new method, experts said. “He knew police techniques,” said John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor Louis Schlesing- er. “He was smart.” No one who knew DeAngelo over the decades connected him with the string of at least a doz- en murders, 50 rapes and doz- ens of burglaries that happened throughout California from 1976 to 1986. After he was identified as the suspect, prosecutors rushed to charge him with eight killings. In addition, police in the central California farming town of Visa- lia said Thursday that DeAngelo is now a suspect in a 13th killing and about 100 burglaries. In 1975, community college teacher Claude Snelling was shot while trying to stop a masked intruder from kidnapping his 16-year-old daughter from his home. Investigators lacked DNA evi- dence so Snelling’s death and the burglaries weren’t included in the tally of Golden State Killer crimes but fingerprints and shoe See KILLER on page 11
