by\u00a0Herschel Baker,\u00a0International Liaison Director,\u00a0Queensland Director,\u00a0Drug Free Australia<\/p>\n
May 28, 2025<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The rate of prenatal marijuana use in the United States has more than<\/p>\n
doubled over the past two decades, with many pregnant individuals turning to<\/p>\n
marijuana to manage symptoms like nausea, anxiety, and insomnia.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While marijuana use during pregnancy is increasing, so is the clarity of the<\/p>\n
science surrounding its risks. A growing body of research makes it clear<\/p>\n
that marijuana use during pregnancy is not without consequences.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A new meta-analysis of over 51 studies, covering over 21 million<\/p>\n
pregnancies, now offers one of the most comprehensive assessments to date.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The findings are clear: marijuana use during pregnancy is linked to<\/p>\n
measurable risks for both the mom and the baby, even after accounting for<\/p>\n
other factors like tobacco use.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Researchers found that prenatal marijuana use increased the odds of several<\/p>\n
serious outcomes. Researchers found that prenatal marijuana use was<\/p>\n
associated with:<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 75% higher odds of a child being born with low birth weight,<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 52% higher odds of preterm birth,<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 57% higher odds of the fetus being small for gestational age, and<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 29% rise in perinatal mortality, however, the strength of this\u00a0association was less certain.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In studies that accounted for variables that could influence the<\/p>\n
relationship between marijuana use and the different outcomes, such as age,<\/p>\n
smoking and health status, the association remained significant. And in the<\/p>\n
studies that accounted for a dose-response association, the risks grew even<\/p>\n
more pronounced. For example, babies exposed to heavy marijuana use were<\/p>\n
more than twice as likely to be born with low birth weight, had 95% and 63%<\/p>\n
higher odds being born preterm and small for gestational age, respectively.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Being born with low birth weight, preterm, or small for gestational age is<\/p>\n
not just a number on a chart\u2014it carries real and lasting health<\/p>\n
consequences. These findings underscore the urgency of addressing marijuana<\/p>\n
use during pregnancy as a serious public health issue. As marijuana products<\/p>\n
become more potent and widely available, the risks to developing fetuses<\/p>\n
cannot be overlooked.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For providers, it is important to have non-judgmental conversations about the<\/p>\n
risks associated with marijuana use during pregnancy and for public health<\/p>\n
leaders, it\u2019s a call to expand prevention efforts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source: <\/strong><\/span>https:\/\/drugfree.org.au\/ – May 28, 2025<\/p>\n Herschel Baker,\u00a0International Liaison Director,\u00a0Queensland Director,\u00a0Drug Free Australia<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by\u00a0Herschel Baker,\u00a0International Liaison Director,\u00a0Queensland Director,\u00a0Drug Free Australia May 28, 2025 The rate of prenatal marijuana use in the United States has more than doubled over the past two decades, with many pregnant individuals turning to marijuana to manage symptoms like nausea, anxiety, and insomnia. While marijuana use during pregnancy is increasing, so is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,30,68,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia","category-cannabis-marijuana","category-drug-use-various-effects","category-drug-use-effects-on-foetus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19300\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}