Last updated : November 18, 2024
Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri want to determine whether or not the evidence that using pot while pregnant affects the fetus’ brain development causing mental health issues during childhood and adolescence. In an earlier study conducted by university researchers, Sarah Paul and David Baranger, part of the Behavioral Research and Imaging Neurogenetics (BRAIN) lab, potential biological mechanisms were evident, however, the exact link to prenatal pot exposure remained unclear.
Ryan Bogdan, the Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Washington University, led the research team. He says there are intermediate biological steps that may play a part in explaining how prenatal exposure leads to behavioral issues in children and adolescents.
More expectant moms smoke pot
Bogdan and his team want to discover if there is a viable link between exposing unborn babies to marijuana. The need to know is more important than ever because society has long considered marijuana to be a harmless drug. As recreational legalization spreads across the nation, use within the pregnant population is on the rise too.
The statistics show that while only nine states legalized recreational marijuana use by 2017, the number of pot-smoking mothers-to-be rose from 3% of the population to 7%. That number has surely increased as there are now twenty-five states that allow residents to use marijuana recreationally.
Moreover, during the pandemic, a study published on the JAMA Network concluded marijuana use among the pregnant population increased from 6.8% to 8.1%. Researchers stated that this number is likely to be larger because not all pregnant women report marijuana use to their doctors.
Another concern attached is the fact that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels continue to increase. This issue, alone, begs researchers to discover if using while pregnant does, indeed, have detrimental effects on the unborn child.
Some say they smoke pot for medical reasons
If reporting marijuana use during pregnancy, women often state that they use it to alleviate the symptoms of morning sickness. Those symptoms include nausea and vomiting, anxiety, stress, and pain.
Research to date has already shown that pot use during pregnancy can have immediate adverse effects on the unborn child.
Those effects include:
- Low birth weight
- Stunted fetal growth
- Premature birth
- Increased risk of stillbirth
Moreover, a study from as far back as 1990 shows that marijuana exposure during breastfeeding may decrease a baby’s motor development at one year of age.
So far, it looks like the cons can far outweigh the pros in their theory.
Linking exposure to mental health isn’t easy
Many contributing factors could play a part in a child or adolescent who begins exhibiting signs of mental health issues. For instance, it’s suspected that exposing the unborn fetus to marijuana may cause them to develop attention deficit disorder (ADD) at some point. Other points to consider here are that it could be an inherited trait or, perhaps, a trait influenced by environmental factors.
How can you pinpoint that marijuana exposure is the definite cause?
According to Bogdan, there is no way to come to a definite conclusion. However, he further stated, “but we can look at the plausibility of causation, and identifying potential biological correlates that are associated with cannabis exposure and these mental health outcomes suggests it’s plausible.”
Worsening mental health conditions in older children
Bogdan’s team is continuing research that they began back in 2020. That study concluded that mental health issues began appearing in children exposed to marijuana in utero.
Nine and ten-year-old children began experiencing mental health problems that included:
- Sleep issues
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Problems with impulsivity
- An inability to pay attention
Their information was largely gathered from data involving nearly 12,000 children participating in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study). These children are reaching the age of twelve now and have participated in the study all their lives.
In the current study, Bogdan’s team followed up on this group of kids. They learned that while their mental health conditions hadn’t gotten better, they hadn’t gotten worse either. Even so, in an article posted by Medical News Today, Dr. Bogdan was quoted as saying, “Early adolescence is a period with increased onset of mental health disorders. That these children have a greater mental health burden at this age suggests that they may be at risk for the onset of mental health disorders in adolescence.”
The team is conducting a new study, recruiting pregnant women who use marijuana, to assess children shortly after birth in hopes of understanding neonatal associations with prenatal exposure.
Moreover, they are taking part in a new study, the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, which will recruit around 7,500 pregnant women living in the United States to document and better understand how different types of prenatal exposures, genetic factors, and early childhood experiences may shape early development and behavior, as well as health during this phase of life.
We need to know
As marijuana continues to become more potent, it’s imperative to determine whether or not smoking pot during pregnancy can negatively affect the unborn. Putting children at a disadvantage to live productive, happy lives even before they enter the world is a gross injustice.
When presented as a possibility, it’s far easier to push the information under the rug rather than having to deal with the fact that a moment of pleasure can put your child at risk of struggling to flourish when they draw near to the turbulent teen years.
We used to worry that marijuana was a gateway drug and that if our youth began using pot, they would likely get mixed up in “hard” drugs. However, what if their mother choosing to smoke while pregnant puts them at risk of mental health issues from the moment they are born?
Many people begin using drugs because they struggle to “fit in” to normal society. Of those, a large margin becomes addicted to their “drug of choice.” If they don’t receive the help they need to beat the addiction, it dooms them to a lifetime of heartache. Statistic after statistic proves this to be true.
What mother would risk that happening to their child because they used a “harmless drug” while pregnant?
We wish you good luck with your effort to find out whether or not there is a link between smoking pot and prenatal exposure, Dr. Bogdan. We must know for sure.
