The largest study on marijuana reveals that using it during pregnancy can result in a high risk of autism in newborn babies. This risk is 1.5% higher in women who smoked weed than those who didn’t. The lead study author, Dr. Darine El-Chaâr from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada explains that these studies are alarming and he recommends pregnant women to stay away from weed.
Previous studies on marijuana reveal its link to low birth rate, stillbirth, hyperactivity, and various other behavioral and impairment disorders in babies. The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms the risks of using marijuana by pregnant women.
Another study found that weed smoking pregnant mothers are at a 2.3% high risk of delivering stillbirth.
Also read- Computers Can Identify Male and Female Brains through Sex-based Differences in the Human Brain
These study findings are not surprising because child development takes place throughout the pregnancy. So there is no such thing as you can smoke weed in the early months or in later months and the child will be unaffected. This is a lie that no one should believe.
This current study obtained birth records from Ontario, Canada between the years 2017 and 2012. Note that during this period the recreational marijuana was not legal in Canada. It was legalized in the year 2017.
Nearly half a million pregnant mothers from this informatics, 2,200 women admitted using marijuana but without adding it into any other opioid, cigarettes, or alcohol. There was no information on how much marijuana they used and this study was only targeted to find the behavioral aspect of using marijuana in pregnancy.
After the marijuana is legalized in Canada, the medical experts are concerned about the pregnant women smoking weed. A large majority of them find it helpful against the morning sickness or recreational product completely ignoring the fact that there is a life growing inside them.
Some of the women also prefer using marijuana so that they don’t have to take medicines especially pain killers, anti-nauseatic medicines, or anti-psychotic medicines.
A relatively study by Washington State University on pregnant women confirms these aspects of using marijuana.
But El-Chaâr believes, pain relief is the biggest reason for using marijuana by pregnant mothers. However, many of them are completely unaware of the increased risk of autism in newborn babies.
The use of marijuana during pregnancy is drastically increased in the US during the last decade. A report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse reveals that its usage is doubled in the last ten years. Most women prefer to take marijuana in the first term of their pregnancy which implies that its usage is more of recreational than medicinal based.
Also read- Quarantine vs. Isolation- Which One is Better for COVID-19 Prevention?
Doctors warn about the dangers of marijuana for a growing baby which is exposed to cannabinoids. Any woman who is expecting should immediately stop using marijuana and any other type of opioid. If she finds it hard to do, it is better to take help from a doctor to come over the withdrawal effects.
The recommendations shared by ACOG says that pregnant women should not use marijuana even for medicinal reasons. It is better to find an alternative option that is safe for them. Overall there is not sufficient data to evaluate how marijuana usage during pregnancy affects the infant in the early years of life. However, the high risk of cognitive impairment and birth-related orders is enough to quit using it during pregnancy.
