Councilwoman says dog poisoned by pot days before she killed dispensary application

Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, who led the effort to kill a special use permit Wednesday for a cannabis dispensary on West Sahara Avenue in Summerlin, says her family’s dog was poisoned with THC just days before the vote.  

“Monday night my dog became paralyzed.  He’s a French bulldog. He started staring at the floor,” Seaman said in an interview.  “I put his food down and he wouldn’t eat.”  

Seaman says she rushed the dog to an animal hospital where his blood tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.   A copy of a toxicology report provided by Seaman reveals a positive result for THC. 

“They shot him with water in his skin and Tuesday he wasn’t better,” Seaman said. 

By Friday, the dog was back to normal.  

“Metro is aware of it.  They are investigating,” she said.  

Seaman stopped short of accusing proponents of the dispensary of poisoning the dog.  

“All I know is everybody and their mother knows where I live,” she said. “Are they trying to tell me it’s bad for dogs?” 

The Current learned of the incident when Seaman relayed it over a hot microphone to the city’s Director of Communications, David Riggleman, before Wednesday’s contentious meeting on the special use permit for the dispensary.  

Seaman has been vocal in her opposition to the dispensary for months, asking the applicant to withdraw the application and stirring opposition among her constituents in email blasts.  

In the audio Seaman is heard telling Riggleman she didn’t want the dog’s alleged poisoning to be public knowledge before the vote in order to maintain the appearance of impartiality.  The audio has since been removed from the recording of the meeting.  

“I didn’t want it to be in the public because I didn’t want anyone to think it affected my vote,” Seaman said in an interview.