There is rapidly growing interest in the potential therapeutic use of cannabis among veterinarians around the world. Unfortunately, there is a profound lack of formal veterinary education on the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and its clinical manipulation, despite its discovery more than 30 years ago. This gap has left practitioners with a lack of knowledge, as well as comfort, in meeting the increasing demands placed on them by clients. Some of these concerns revolve around the legality of prescribing cannabis as well as challengers accessing safe, quality-controlled, pharmaceutical grade formulations. This lecture will explore these concerns as well as provide clarity around the clinically relevant questions of which situations are warranted; what is an effective dosing strategy and what precautions should be taken?
Recording from 11 June 2024
Speaker:
Leon Warne
Adjunct Professor, BSc(Biol), BBiomedSc(Hons1), BSc, BVMS, MVS, MANZCVS, DACVAA, PhD
Leon holds qualifications and expertise across a diverse range of fields including biological, veterinary, and medical sciences, higher education, pain research, anaesthesia, pharmaceutical research and development. He graduated as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Murdoch University (Western Australia) in 2009. Following graduation, he undertook an internship in anaesthesia, emergency, and critical care medicine. Leon joined the Melbourne Veterinary School’s anaesthesia and analgesia section at the University of Melbourne in 2010 where he completed a specialty training program in anaesthesia and pain management, a clinical master’s degree in anaesthesia as well as a PhD in pain-management and assessment. In 2015 he completed an externship in anaesthesia and trauma management at The Austin and Royal Melbourne Hospitals. Leon is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia, a Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists anaesthesia chapter, and an Australasian Veterinary Boards Council registered specialist in anaesthesia. Leon is a director of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Pain Management Australia, an adjunct senior lecturer at Murdoch University and senior research fellow at Curtin University. Recently Leon founded The Vet Pharmacist, a trusted supplier of quality medicinal cannabis pharmaceuticals to the veterinary industry.
Leon’s current clinical research focuses on examining the efficacy of medicinal cannabis across multiple species; the use of Quality of Life as a primary outcome measure for chronic disease; and the development of assessment and management strategies for complex pain disorders. His passion for the veterinary profession has led him to join the Executive Committee of the Australian Small Animal Veterinarians (ASAV), AVA SIG.
