- The more cannabis consumed, the higher the risk, Utah researchers found
- When a person ingests marijuana during pregnancy, the THC passes to the baby
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Using marijuana or being exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of stillbirths and low birth weight, a study suggests.
Researchers from the University of Utah found that exposure to cannabis while pregnant is linked to a 1.5 times higher risk of low birth weight.
There was also a 30 percent increased risk of medically induced preterm birth, stillbirth and pregnancy-related high blood pressure in the moms-to-be.
When a person ingests marijuana during their pregnancy, tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, and other chemicals pass to the baby through the mother’s placenta, which supplies the baby with its nutrition and oxygen through the umbilical cord.
Researchers from the University of Utah found that smoking cannabis while pregnant is linked to a 1.5 times higher risk of low birth weight
Dr Robert Silver, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the university, said: ‘Cannabis use is not safe… you shouldn’t use cannabis during pregnancy.’
The researchers examined multiple urine samples from more than 9,000 mothers-to-be across the country to give an accurate measurement of cannabis exposure.
Using medical records, they then compared marijuana exposure to complications suffered by the baby.
The researchers found that the more cannabis consumed, the higher the risk of negative outcomes to the baby.
These included a low birth weight, which is defined as a baby born weighing less than five pounds eight ounces and can raise the risk of inhibited growth and cognitive development, as well as chronic disease and obesity later on in life.
Other risks included premature birth, stillbirths and pregnancy-related high blood pressure in the women.
They found that overall, the risk increased by almost 30 percent in those who used cannabis while pregnant.
When the researchers looked at the outcomes individually, they found a 50 percent rise for the risk of low birth weight.
While there was a higher risk of stillbirth, admission to the neonatal intensive care unit and neonatal complications and death, these associations were not statistically significant, which means they might have just been down to chance.
The study was published in JAMA.
Some 24 states allow the use of marijuana recreationally and 38 allow its medical use.
In some cases of miscarriage or stillbirth where the mother-to-be was using marijuana, they can be found guilty of ‘chemical endangerment of the fetus’, with a sentence of up to 99 years.
It adds to existing findings, including an extensive study conducted in Canada which found that pregnant women who smoke cannabis have a 70 percent higher risk of having a baby with a major birth defect and a 15 percent increased risk of a stillbirth.
In 2013, the US government-run National Institutes of Health found a 2.3 percent increased risk of stillbirth among women who used cannabis while pregnant.
Women who used marijuana while pregnant were also 85 percent more likely to have a preterm birth, which can lead to health complications down the line, including impaired learning, vision problems and behavioral issues.
They may also have trouble feeding or gaining weight, and be more prone to breathing problems or infections.
A 2022 study published in JAMA Pediatrics found prenatal cannabis exposure after five to six weeks of pregnancy is associated with attention, social and behavioral problems that persist into early adolescence.
Cannabis is the most commonly used federally illegal drug among pregnant women in the United States, with use among the group doubling between 2002 and 2017, the latest year data is available.
In some areas of the US up to one-quarter of pregnant women use marijuana during pregnancy, a recent study in the journal JAMA found.
