Dangers of marijuana or THC use during pregnancy
Since its legalization in Florida and many other states, marijuana has surpassed alcohol to become the most commonly used drug during pregnancy. Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, even as some states have legalized it for either recreational and/or medicinal use. In addition, over the past years, there has been an increasing belief that cannabis is harmless and can relieve some of the symptoms of pregnancy, such as morning sickness, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, and sleep disorders
Cannabis, also called marijuana, potter weed, refers to products of the cannabis plant. It is usually a greenish or brownish material consisting of the dried flowering fruiting tops and leaves of the cannabis plant. Cannabis contains over 500 active chemicals and more than 100 cannabinoids, with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) being the main psychoactive ingredient responsible for the high that people feel. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the second-most common cannabinoid in cannabis. Cannabidiol is not associated with the high and is being studied for various medical applications, such as relieving pain, anxiety and other chronic conditions.
Cannabis can be ingested (edible cannabis, oils, drinks, pills), inhaled (smoked or vaped) or applied to the skin. The duration of cannabis’s effects depends on how it is used. When inhaled, cannabis intoxicating effects start within a few seconds to a few minutes and peak within 30 minutes. Effects can last up to six hours and residual effects can last up to 24 hours. When ingested, cannabis intoxicating effects do not kick in for about 30 minutes to two hours and peak at about four hours. The effects can last up to 12 hours after use and residual effects can last up to 24 hours. Over the years, cannabis THC content from smoked cannabis has considerably increased from 3% to 6% in prior decades to more than 15% with newer selective growing practices. In some cannabis concentrates made by extracting THC from the plant such as kief, hash or resin, THC content ranges from 39% to 90%. However, there is no determined amount of cannabis exposure that is safe. Until the effects of prenatal cannabis exposure are well understood, the safest option available to pregnant women is to avoid using cannabis
Pregnant women who use cannabis generally perceive cannabis as having low risks for the fetus, compared with pregnant women who do not use cannabis, but there is no known safe dose of THC or CBD for pregnant women. Whatever amount of THC the mother takes, a more concentrated, higher dose is delivered to the baby. There will probably never be a known safe dose because the only way to test it would require intentionally giving pregnant women defined doses of a substance known to cause harm to developing brains. To do so would be unethical. Our understanding of the effects come from observational studies of women know to be using THC and CBD during their pregnancy and what outcomes of their pregnancies.
So, what happens to embryos and fetuses that are exposed to marijuana in utero? Depending on factors such as age of gestation at exposure, the baby is at an increased risk for significant defects like anencephaly (missing all or part of the brain), lowered IQ or impaired emotional intelligence, premature delivery and low birth weight. Anencephaly is associated with use early in pregnancy and is usually fatal. Lower IQ and emotional intelligence are associated with use later in pregnancy and translate to more stillbirths, developmental delays, attention deficit disorders, hyperactivity, sleep disorders, depression & anxiety, childhood schizophrenia and a more difficult time making friends. No mother wants that for her kids.
THC use causes babies to have withdrawals. This occurs after the toxins have cleared the baby’s system. Symptoms include irritability and difficulty sleeping. Some patients believe that using marijuana during pregnancy leads to an easy-going and good-natured baby; however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Having a newborn baby can be a difficult transition even under ideal conditions. Marijuana withdrawals only make infancy more challenging.
It is not safe to use marijuana while breastfeeding. The body holds onto THC longer than most drugs. It is still present in the breastmilk for up to 30 days after the last time the mother used. In the last several years, our community has made great strides in educating mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding, and most mothers plan to give their child this wonderful gift. Nothing is more heartbreaking than telling a mother she cannot breastfeed her baby because she has been using marijuana. Theoretically, a mother could “pump and dump” her milk for the first month and feed the baby formula instead, letting her body rid itself of the toxins from marijuana. However, the establishment of breastfeeding after a month of formula feeding is not likely to be successful. THC can be detected in infant’s urine for 2-5 weeks after exposure. THC is stored in fat and newborn babies has a higher percentage of body fat than children or adults, so it could continue to cause exposure to the baby’s brain over time.
Use of Cannabis can make nausea and vomiting of pregnancy even worse. This can happen from a rare but debilitating reaction too high doses of THC or if a mother who uses large amounts of THC stops using it abruptly. With the increased use of recreational marijuana a disorder called Cannabus Hyperemesis Syndrome as been come apparent. This is considered to be a subset of a disorder called Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome that is more common in marijuana smokers. Not only is this documented in scientific research, but hospitals are admitting an increasing number of patients who are severely dehydrated from vomiting uncontrollably after using high doses of THC. It can take up to 10 to14 days to wean the mother off of tube feedings and IV fluids, while aggressively treating her symptoms around the clock. These symptoms are more severe than those of pregnant women who do not use marijuana.
Synthetic marijuana or “spice” is not safe either. Actually, it can be more dangerous. It can have severe side effects for the mother, such as seizures . Why worry about seizures in pregnant women? Because seizures can cause the placenta to separate from the uterine wall before the mother has delivered the baby. This is called an abruption and can be fatal to both the mother and developing baby, because it causes a massive hemorrhage. Synthetic marijuana can also cause extremely high blood pressure, which puts the mother at risk for an abruption. These devastating effects are in addition to the other risks listed above, and it is worth noting that the concentration of the THC analogues in “spice” are hundreds of times stronger than the original product.
For additional information check out :
American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology FAQ Marijuana and Pregnancy
The US Department of Health and Human Services page on Marihjuana and Pregnancy