By now, it's common knowledge
that smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol while pregnant is dangerous
for the fetus. In November, the American Medical Association — which
actually opposes
marijuana legalization in general — began to lobby for pregnancy and
breastfeeding warnings to be written on medical and recreational
marijuana products throughout the nation, according to CBS News. Many states and dispensaries already warn pregnant people about using marijuana products.
Many people use marijuana to help aid in relieving the
symptoms that come with pregnancy, such as morning sickness and loss of
appetite, Vice reported.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug, but according to Healthline, using it while pregnant is an understudied practice. The National Institute on Drug Abuse links
THC – the compound in marijuana that gives users a high – to cognitive
and behavioral problems such as trembling and poor memory. Other observational studies, using samples from Australia and the U.K., found no fetal harm from marijuana exposure.
Many of the experimental studies use mice, rats or human
fetal tissue instead of actual humans, which may affect the relevancy of
their results, Forbes reported. For example, Live Science reported
that a 2014 study using mice and human tissue found that THC does
hinder the connection between nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, which
is important for thinking and memory. It's unknown exactly why, but it
could be because the baby's brain is not yet developed and still
sensitive.
A 2013 observational study
found marijuana most often when studying the umbilical cord blood from
stillborn infants. However, the researchers noted that this correlation
does not definitively tie marijuana use to stillbirth.
THC is also fat soluble and has been found in breast milk,
which is high in fat. Although the amount found in breast milk would be
too small to get a baby high, previous evidence links this exposure to
slower movement and coordination.
It's unclear whether or not an edible is a safer choice to consume marijuana, as THC still becomes prevalent in the system (despite avoiding the tar from smoking).
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