New Evidence on Pot During Pregnancy
An unusually good study examines how marijuana use in pregnancy may affect birth outcomes.
As more states legalize marijuana, usage rates are going up, and so are questions about the plant’s health benefits or risks, including during pregnancy. Many women of childbearing age use marijuana recreationally, and wonder about continuing occasional use when they become pregnant.
When people ask me whether marijuana poses a risk to the fetus—which they do, frequently—my stock answer has been, “Honestly, we do not really know.” The characteristics of women who use marijuana differ from those who do not in ways that relate strongly to infant outcomes; this is especially true when marijuana is illegal, but it remains true after legalization.
