Using cannabis during pregnancy could be bad news for your baby: new research

The Conversation 15 June 2020
Our additional comment: Compared to babies whose mothers did not use marijuana before or during their pregnancies, babies whose mothers were still using the drug at 15 weeks had a smaller birth weight, head circumference, and length and were born at an earlier gestational age.

A study in Australia analysed data from 5,610 women who were in their first pregnancy and therefore at low risk for pregnancy complications. Of these, 314 (5.6 percent) self-reported marijuana use three months before pregnancy or during their pregnancy. Of these women, 97 stopped using before their pregnancy and 157 percent stopped using during the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. Sixty were still using marijuana at 15 weeks.

Compared to babies whose mothers did not use marijuana before or during their pregnancies, babies whose mothers were still using the drug at 15 weeks had a smaller birth weight, head circumference, and length and were born at an earlier gestational age.

Read the researchers’ account of their study in the Medical Journal of Australia here.
READ MORE: https://theconversation.com/using-cannabis-during-pregnancy-could-be-bad-news-for-your-baby-new-research-140443