With weed easily and legally available for both medical and recreational use, more and more people are joining the pot party. However, there is not much research to back the many benefits advertised of cannabis. In fact, not all groups of people can safely use the drug. That stands true even if the content of cannabidiol in the strain smoked is higher.
If you’ve been keeping a keen eye on the pros and cons of cannabis use, you must already know that you shouldn’t take the herb during pregnancy. Sure, it can help with anxiety, pain, and morning sickness. But it puts the health of your developing baby on the risk. Unfortunately, more and more pregnant women are using the herb for relief from pregnancy symptoms as per a JAMA report
Cannabis And Fetal Development
A recent UNC School of Medicine study found that cannabinoid use by expectant mothers negatively impacts fetal development. Another study, found that pregnant women’s use of cannabis use adversely impacted the baby’s brain. This research, the Experimental Biology journal published
Yet another Nature Neuroscience report detailed on how cannabis use during pregnancy upped risk of psychiatric disorder and hyperactivity in offspring. Furthermore, a 2011 study found that cannabis exposure to the fetus in pregnancy has differing effects on the cognitive development of the baby’s brain.
Scientific evidence backs that marijuana use during pregnancy can lead to problems in neurological development in babies. It can also cause deficits in their attentiveness, academic performance, and memory among other things. One research also showed that infants exposed to cannabis when in the womb had a lower birth weight.
Some studies also show that pregnant women’s use of cannabis can cause stillbirth or premature birth. Some animal studies show that cannabis use when expecting can cause miscarriages.
What’s more, prenatal exposure to cannabis also raises the risk of using the drug later in life. It’s clear that while marijuana use may not be harmful for adults, the same cannot be said about the developing brain. Since the brain of adolescents are also still developing, cannabis use doesn’t do them much good.
Apart from the effects of cannabis on the fetus in the womb, nursing mothers using the drug also expose their babies to it. This can have detrimental effects as well. However research is limited in this area. Therefore, experts discourage pregnant women’s use of cannabis. They even discourage the use of cannabinoids generally labeled safe such as cannabidiol.
Next Steps
Looking at the many nasty effects that cannabis use can have when pregnant, there’s a need for more awareness. Because regardless of researchers’ warnings, many women are using the drug when expecting.
Dispensaries are also selling the drug while marketing its so-called benefits for women who are carrying a child. Just like alcohol use during pregnancy is restricted, cannabis use must be too.
