Could pets possess the key to progressive pot policies?

The seemingly silly question in the title of this post is prompted by this seemingly silly new article headlined "Pot for pets? Vet offers unorthodox marijuana treatment for pups in pain." Here is how the article gets started:

With medical marijuana legalized in California and several other states, one veterinarian is asking why a puff can't help ailing pooches.

Dr. Doug Kramer, who runs the Vet Guru animal center in Chatsworth, outside Los Angeles, believes that the active ingredient in pot, THC, could be the key to helping Fido feel better. 

He said that was the case in treating his own dog, Nikita, saying the marijuana regimen increased her "quality of life." Speaking with Vice magazine last month, Kramer said that a friend had first introduced the idea to him, saying that she used marijuana on her dog when other traditional medications were not working.  

When his own Husky, Nikita, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Dr. Kramer knew he had nothing to lose in the battle to help his pet deal with the pain.  "When it became clear that she was nearing the end, that's when she had nothing to lose, as long as it didn't hurt her," he told the magazine.

According to Dogster.com, Kramer is the first vet in the country to offer pot as a treatment for canine pain.... And as long as the movement garners enough support, even animal rights' groups could get behind it.

Ingrid Newkirk, the president for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), told ABCNews.com that within the right circumstances, THC could help.  "Our position is that anything that can help animals — if it's truly, properly administered in the right amount (and) can relieve a dog's pain — then they should be given the same consideration that humans in pain are given," she said.