Marijuana and Maternity: What Are the Effects?
Four US states currently allow r
ecreational marijuana use and twenty-four allow medical marijuana. However, little research has been carried out to uncover the drug’s effect on the development of human embryos if smoked or consumed in edible form during pregnancy. As such, a recent study in BioMed Central (BMC) Pharmacology and Toxicology outlines an urgent need for new research in this area.
G. Ian Gallicano, one of the authors of the article which reviews the scientific literature from 1975 – 2015 on cannaboids (such as THC) – the main psychoactive compound in marijuana - and embryonic development, notes that: “We know from limited human studies that use of [the drug] in early pregnancy is associated with many of the same risks as tobacco … but animal research suggests the potential for many more development issues.”
Gallicano also explains the fact that THC has previously been found to inhibit the growth of tumours indicates just how damaging it can be for a human foetus. Among the study’s other conclusions, notable findings include:
- THC lasts in the body for weeks, especially in maternal tissues
- THC crosses the human placenta
- THC levels in marijuana has increased almost twenty-five-fold since 1970 and can be substantially stronger in edible forms of the drug
- THC interferes with folic acid which is known to be essential for normal development
- THC can be linked to autism and a low IQ
Read the full study in BioMed Central (BMC) Pharmacology and Toxicology.