Pamela McColl, Publisher/Author
The use of marijuana (cannabis) has become a widely
debated topic in the United States in recent times, and most have strong
opinions about the medicinal or recreational use of this powerful plant. As
some women consider using marijuana to treat issues such as morning sickness
they are left wondering about the effects of marijuana on themselves and their
baby while pregnant. In this piece, author Pamela McColl shares a few reasons
that using marijuana during pregnancy may have detrimental effects on the
child, and why it should be avoided, even as a medical treatment, during this
critical time.
The public discussion and debate over marijuana, both
as a recreational drug and for medicinal use, rages on.
Negotiating through the rhetoric has left many of us
searching for an objective, evidence based discussion.
In the context of maternity and marijuana there are
specific, recent scientific findings that can assist in making appropriate
choices for the well-being of mother and child.
We now have solid scientific findings that
demonstrate that marijuana is not harmless, but a potent drug that can cause
harm to the brain maturation in the fetus.
It is critically important to understand the science
of marijuana use in pregnancy to protect both mother and child.
Marijuana use during pregnancy interrupts fetal
brain development.
This can result in permanent damage and compromise
the development of future cognitive abilities (1).
It is the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active
ingredient in marijuana, that impacts the growth of the brain and this stage of
the brain’s development.
Research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, along with studies at the Medical
University of Vienna and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, demonstrated
that fetuses exposed to cannabis showed significantly lower levels of the
protein needed for the development of cognitive abilities required to conduct
planning, memory, decision making and organization functions.
Pregnant women need to know of the risks associated
with marijuana use on the fetal brain and if they are using this drug either
recreationally or for a relief of nausea associated with morning sickness.
Smoking marijuana during pregnancy has been shown to
decrease baby’s birth weight, most likely due to the effects of carbon monoxide
on the developing fetus (2).
According to Dr. Andra Smith, Associate Professor at
the University of Ottawa, School of Psychology: Yes, it might make the morning
sickness subside but at what cost?
The long term consequences may well be far more
damaging than the short term relief.
Marijuana crosses the placental barrier and has
subtle effects on the newborn baby.
However, it is the longer lasting and more delayed
effects on cognitive processing that are most alarming.
The prenatal exposure to cannabis contributes to a
vulnerability of neurocognitive functioning that has been observed as early as
3 years of age and most strikingly continuing into young adulthood.
The growing evidence for a negative impact of
prenatal cannabis exposure originates from three longitudinal studies
worldwide.
Due to the wide range of lifestyle variables that
contribute to both brain, body and mental health, prospective studies are
required to ensure control of as many of these variables as possible.
This is the methodology that has been used for the
Ottawa Prenatal Prospective Study (OPPS; 9) in Canada, the Maternal Health Practices
and Child Development Project (MHPCDP; 10) in the US and the Generation R study
in Europe (11).
Each of these studies investigated prenatal
marijuana exposure in varying samples with different testing measures, and for
these reasons all results are not comparable.
However, the significant results that are consistent
across the OPPS and MHPCDP, the two studies that have tested children for the
longest period of time, and include neurocognitive challenges in the areas of
short-term memory, as well as verbal outcomes, aspects of attention,
impulsivity and abstract visual skills (9,10,12,13).
These deficits appear after age 3 and continue into
young adulthood (14,15).
Most significantly, at 6 years of age, children
exposed prenatally to marijuana showed more impulsive and hyperactive
behaviour.
This continued into adolescence and was accompanied
by problems in abstract and visual reasoning, as well as visuo-perceptual
functioning.
These are the types of skills required to perform
“top down processing”, such as good decision making, organizing behaviour,
setting goals and putting into action a plan to accomplish the goals.
Each of these cognitive processes can be grouped
under the umbrella term of executive functioning.
Executive functioning is required for success in
life, including schooling, relationships and work life.
Struggles can occur in these facets when executive
functions are compromised, something that can occur with prenatal marijuana
exposure (16).
Regular use during pregnancy is cause for concern.
In summary, prenatal marijuana exposure does have
negative consequences on both the mother and child.
This impact should be known so that expectant
mothers can make informed choices about how to treat their morning sickness and
ultimately care for the future of their children.
Pamela McColl is a doula, tobacco prevention
activist, author and publisher. In 2012, she published the first smoke-free
edition of the famous poem “Twas The Night Before Christmas” to generate more
discussion and awareness of the cultural influences that impact young children
and their future use of tobacco products. The publication won seven book awards
including four Benjamin Franklin Book Awards, a Moonbeam, a gold for Mom's
Choice Awards and a Global International Ebook Award. Working on Baby and Me
Tobacco Free brought Pamela's experience as a labor support doula and prenatal
yoga to the discussion of tobacco cessation. Pamela continues to promote the
need for greater prevention, education and assistance to those who find themselves
wanting to stop the use of tobacco products.
References
[1] Giedd, J.N. (2004). Structural magnetic resonance imaging of the
adolescent brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1021, 77-85.
[2] Hall, W. & Degenhard, L. (2009). Adverse health effects of
non-medical cannabis use. Lancet. 374, 1383-1391.
[3] Tetrault, J.M. (2007). Effects of cannabis smoking on pulmonary
function and respiratory complications: a systematic review. Archives of
Internal Medicine. 167, 221-228.
[4] Hoffman, D., Brunnemann, K.D., Gori, G.B. & Wynder, E.E.L.
(1975). On the carcinogenicity of marijuana smoke. In: V.C. Runeckles, Ed.,
Recent Advances in Phytochemistry. New York: Plenum.
[5] Moore, T.H., Zammit, S., Lingford-Hughes, A. et al., (2007). Cannabis
use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: A systematic
review. Lancet. 370 (9584), 319-328.
[6] Large, M., Sharma, S., Compton, M., Slade, T. & Nielssen, O.
(2011). Cannabis use and earlier onset of psychosis: a systematic
meta-analysis. Archives of General Psychiatry. 68(6), 555-561.
[7] Arseneault, L., Cannon, M, Poulton, R., Murray, R., Caspi, A., &
Moffitt, T.E. (2002). Cannabis use in adolescence and risk for adult psychosis:
longitudinal prospective study. British Medical Journal. 325, 1212-1213.
[8] Wagner, F.A., & Anthony, J.C. (2002). From first drug use to drug
dependence; developmental periods of risk for dependence upon cannabis,
cocaine, and alcohol. Neuropsychopharmacology. 26, 479-488.
[9] Fried, P.A. (1982). Marihuana use by pregnant women and effects on
offspring: an update. Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 4, 451-454.
[10] Goldschmidt, L., Day, N.L., Richardson, G.A. (2000). Effects of
prenatal marijuana exposure on child behavior problems at age 10.
Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 22, 325-336.
[11] Jaddoe, V.W.V., van Duijn, C.M., Franco, O.H., van der Heijden, A.J.
et al., (2012). The Generation R Study: design and cohort update 2012. European
Journal of Epidemiology. 27, 739-756.
[12] Fried, P.A. Watkinson, B. (2000). Visuoperceptual functioning
differs in 9-12 year olds prenatally exposed to cigarettes and marijuana.
Neurotoxicology and Teratology 22, 11-20.
[13] Richardson, G.A., Ryan, C., Willford, J et al., (2002). Prenatal
alcohol and marijuana exposure: effects on neuropsychological outcomes at 10
years. Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 24, 309-320.
[14] Smith, A.M., Fried, P., Hogan, M., Cameron, I. (2006). Effects of
prenatal marijuana on visuospatial working memory: An fMRI study in young
adults. Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 28, 286-295.
[15] Smith, A.M., Fried, P., Hogan, M., Cameron, I. (2004). Effects of
prenatal marijuana exposure on response inhibition: An fMRI study of young
adults. Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 26(4), 533-542.
[16] Fried, P.A. & Smith, A. (2001). A literature review of the
consequences of prenatal marihuana exposure: an emerging theme of a deficiency
in aspects of executive function. Neurotoxicology and Teratology. 23, 1-11.
Great information. Thank you for posting it.
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