The AP (6/18, Tanner) reports in health surveys in 2016-2017 of almost 500,000 women in the US “7% of pregnant women, or 1 in 14, said they used marijuana in the past month,” compared to “a little over 3% in 2002-03.” The findings were published in JAMA and presented at a medical conference.
Medscape (6/18, Haelle, Subscription Publication) reports in a second study, “Canadian research reveals that such use comes with greater risk of preterm birth and several other poor perinatal and neonatal outcomes.” The second study was also published in JAMA. Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH, of Boston University School of Medicine, and two colleagues wrote in an accompanying editorial, “These two studies send a straightforward message: cannabis use in pregnancy is likely unsafe; with an increasing prevalence of use (presumably related to growing social acceptability and legalization in many states), its potential for harm may represent a public health problem.”
Related Links:
— “Marijuana use doubles in US pregnant women to 1 in 14, “Lindsey Tanner, AP, June 18, 2019