A recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine, “Prenatal Cannabis Use and Maternal Pregnancy Outcomes,” assessed the degree to which prenatal marijuana use was associated with maternal health outcomes during pregnancy. The article used two types of sample groups for this study: pregnant women that used marijuana and pregnant women that did not use marijuana. Drawing on the results of their study, we focused on three maternal health outcomes among the sample groups:
Frequency of Maternal Health Outcomes by Any Prenatal Marijuana Use:
These results, which were highlighted in outlets like CNN, further demonstrate the association between prenatal marijuana use and adverse effects. They build on the existing base on knowledge about these outcomes. For example, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) warned, “marijuana use during pregnancy can be harmful to a baby’s health and cause many serious problems, including stillbirth, preterm birth, and growth and development issues.”
This is especially concerning as a 2018 Colorado survey found that almost 70% of marijuana dispensaries in Colorado recommended THC products to pregnant women. Public health providers must continue to educate on this topic.
