Mary Jane is not our friend #marijuana
Apr 20, 2023
Marijuana use is increasing overall because of changes in legislation and greater societal acceptance. Chang and others (2019) examined pregnant women’s thoughts about marijuana use and some women thought that it was safer than conventional medications and more of a “herb” than a “drug”. Others used it to help with nausea, increase appetite, improve mood, stop lower back pain, and decrease anxiety (Chang et al., 2019; Thompson et al., 2019). Other women stated that there was conflicting research and that there was not enough evidence to show that marijuana was safe during pregnancy (Change et al., 2019).
Even though I agree that there needs to be more research looking at modern marijuana use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, I think that you should reflect the known research was collected when THC levels were not as concentrated. Consider that THC levels were 8-13% in 2010 and now range from 20-60% (Thompson et al., 2019). I have listed some known effects below:
Negative impacts of marijuana use on baby
- Born to soon
- Low birth weight
- Increased stillbirth or died within the womb after 28 weeks
- Increased miscarriage (loss before 20 weeks)
- More likely to go to intensive care after delivery or NICU
- Problems with learning
- Problems with behavior
- Problems with understanding
- Increased depression & anxiety
- Problems with focus
- Early use of marijuana as a teenager
- More impulsive
Caveats of existing research
- Older studies when marijuana use was less often
- Research on less concentrated weed
- Research issues include polypharmacy (using multiple drugs simultaneously, including tobacco)
- Varying strains of marijuana make standardization of dose difficult
- Varying ways of delivering marijuana make measuring dose of THC difficult
- Smoking a blunt increases toxicity because of products of combustion that can be cancer causing
Where marijuana is found after ingesting (during pregnancy and breastfeeding)
- Placenta
- Meconium (baby’s stool)
- Breastmilk
- Umbilical cord
- Baby’s blood
- Baby’s urine
Pro Tip – Avoid use or QUIT before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding.
References
Chang, J., Tarr, L., Holland, C…et al. (2019). Beliefs and attitudes regarding prenatal marijuana use: Perspectives of pregnant women who report use. Drug and alcohol dependence, 196(14-20). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.11.028
Thompson, R., DeJong, K., & Lo, M. (2019). Marijuana use in pregnancy: A review. Obstet Gyncecol Surv, 74(7), 415-428. doi:10.1097/OGX.0000000000000685
Disclaimer: No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from a qualified clinician.
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