- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
2nd Trimester
Smoking weed while pregnant...
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Smoking weed while pregnant...
Whoa, WTF? Uncalled for.
if i quit, how am i missing this point?
reading comprehension is not your strong suit i suppose. many women here also continue to eat sushi or have a glass of wine, yet they don't catch nearly the hell i am for just discussing this issue. why is that?
We're like the same person! lol.. it's no wonder we're both from the westcoast! lol
holy hell, do you not know what "merit" means? where did i say, "hey everyone, it's good to smoke pot when you're ku!"
seriously, what in the hell. i just want to understand all the people who are cutting friends out of their lives because they smoke weed. is that normal? do you quit talking to someone who had an occasional beer or sushi when she was pregnant?
i just got very used to repeating myself, very very slowly.
First of all the substance is illegal, and no Dr in their right mind would sujbect a growing baby to it. There is no studies because of that. There are studies on cig because it was common and everyone used to smoke while pregnant in the 70', 80's and some of the 90's.
It's pretty much common sense that drugs are bad. You wouldnt do coke would you? There are no "studies" to prove that is bad for a baby.
There will always be people who say "I did it and my child is fine", but why chance it?
This is the most logical comment in this thread.
This.
You're asking for evidence that just does not exist for two reasons: 1) It is an illegal substance, therefore, you can't run experiments with it. 2) If there were a study, most women would not participate because of the possibility of damage to their child.
These are the same reasons why we do not know how much alcohol it takes to harm a baby.
Though I will say, it is not ridiculous to assume that it could have negative affects on an unborn child because we can see that it does indeed have affects on full grown, strong, adults. The affects it has may not be major to an adult, but could potentially be tragic for a fragile fetus.
This lack of evidence is what keeps me away from the substance. It is also why I look down on women who do smoke during their pregnancy. They do not know for sure what affects it is having on their child. And that I see as reckless and selfish.
ETA: Look at it this way: I can go out drinking every night of the week and only suffer small consequences. Loss of memory and function, weight gain or weight loss, etc. But I will still be OK. Alcoholics may be unhealthy, but they're able to function relatively normal. However, if I were pregnant and drank every day of my pregnancy... I bet we can gurantee that my child would be a stillborn, or if they lived, would have massive amounts of problems.
I can smoke weed every day and still be fine...but would my child be fine? We don't know. But we do know that adults can withstand poison (alcohol) while that same amount can kill and deform a fetus. And I would be willing to say that this can be expected with any type of intoxicant.
::coming in late to the fun::
I believe we are "harping on marijuana" because that is what the post is about. duh.
** People have misconceptions about pot-use because it is illegal and there is a large campaign of propaganda against it. Aka the "reefer madness" thing. That being said, if it warps your brain while not KU then it will definitely warp your kid's brain in your uterus. You can do whatever you want to yourself prior to being KU, but after the strip turns pink you are no longer responsible for just yourself.
** Bestrange- the law is the law. People freak because MJ is illegal. I would be equally judgmental about a pack-a-day smoker while pg or pg woman chugging a forty of liquor. I think you can get locked up for excessive substance abuse (anything harmful to the fetus)while pregnant.
This is from a landmark case in SC in 1996:
"In a July 15 decision, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that if a pregnant woman takes drugs that could threaten her baby's health, she can be prosecuted for child abuse (Whitner v. State (South Carolina), SC SupCt, No. 24468, July 15, 1996, 1996WL393164, 59 CrL 1377; Associated Press, "Carolina ruling favors unborn; Court describes fetus as a person," Washington Times, July 17, 1996, p. A1). The unprecedented ruling says that a pregnant woman can be criminally liable for actions that endanger the health of a viable fetus, Attorney General Charlie Condon said. He claimed the 3-2 decision as "a landmark decision for protecting children."
You are not changing anyone's mind and you are making yourself look loopy. No one here can change the law immediately.
LOL! It's like a sister from another mister
)
Sorry, just lurking here, but yes, there are studies (scientific studies not in biased magazines) that support the assumption that cannabis is bad for fetuses:
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2009 Oct 23. [Epub ahead of print]
Intrauterine Cannabis Exposure Affects Fetal Growth Trajectories: The Generation R Study.
El Marroun H, Tiemeier H, Steegers EA, Jaddoe VW, Hofman A, Verhulst FC, van den Brink W, Huizink AC.
Mrs. El Marroun and Dr. Jaddoe are with the Generation R Study Group; Mrs. El Marroun and Drs. Huizink, Tiemeier, Verhulst, Jaddoe, Hofman, and Steegers are with the Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam. Dr. van den Brink is with the Academic Medical Center University of Amsterdam and with the Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research. Dr. Huizink is with the University of Amsterdam.
OBJECTIVE:: Cannabis is the most commonly consumed illicit drug among pregnant women. Intrauterine exposure to cannabis may result in risks for the developing fetus. The importance of intrauterine growth on subsequent psychological and behavioral child development has been demonstrated. This study examined the relation between maternal cannabis use and fetal growth until birth in a population-based sample. METHOD:: Approximately 7,452 mothers enrolled during pregnancy and provided information on substance use and fetal growth. Fetal growth was determined using ultrasound measures in early, mid-, and late pregnancy. Additionally, birth weight was assessed. RESULTS:: Maternal cannabis use during pregnancy was associated with growth restriction in mid- and late pregnancy and with lower birth weight. This growth reduction was most pronounced for fetuses exposed to continued maternal cannabis use during pregnancy. Fetal weight in cannabis-exposed fetuses showed a growth reduction of -14.44 g/week (95% confidence interval -22.94 to -5.94, p =.001) and head circumference (-0.21 mm/week, 95% confidence interval -0.42 to 0.02, p =.07), compared with nonexposed fetuses. Maternal cannabis use during pregnancy resulted in more pronounced growth restriction than maternal tobacco use. Paternal cannabis use was not associated with fetal growth restriction. CONCLUSIONS:: Maternal cannabis use, even for a short period, may be associated with several adverse fetal growth trajectories.
Exactly.
Defiantly a westcoast thing. I'm from Vancouver Island. Spent many summers in Tofino.
BSTRANGELY - You never answered my question. Why are you so adamant about proving that it's not harmful to be high when pregnant? I know you are saying you don't do it. Fabulous. But why the need to prove that it is okay? It makes no sense to me. Not one bit. So please, answer that question.
well, i was shocked when i read the initial few posts about how people who smoked during pregnancy shouldn't be parents. that, coupled with the fact that at least one state will throw you in jail for smoking while pregnant, makes me want to have this conversation. it is probably not good to smoke while pregnant, and that's why i quit... but it is definitely and demonstrably worse to grow up with an incarcerated parent. if no one can prove that it actually harms a child to smoke, then we're doing something really f-ed up by tearing families apart over it.
that is my point. we're having a knee jerk reaction that screws up real families, and that sucks. i would just like for someone to justify it for me, and that's why i'm taking this stance, though i don't advocate for any drug use during pregnancy. hope that makes sense.
Int Rev Neurobiol. 2009;85:117-33.
Developmental exposure to cannabinoids causes subtle and enduring neurofunctional alterations.
Campolongo P, Trezza V, Palmery M, Trabace L, Cuomo V.
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Vittorio Erspamer, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Cannabis sativa preparations are among the illicit drugs most commonly used by pregnant women in Western countries. Although they are often considered relatively harmless, increasing evidence suggests that developmental exposure to cannabinoids induces subtle neurofunctional alterations in the offspring. In the present review, we summarize human and animal evidence examining the behavioral and neurobiological effects of exposure to cannabinoids during pregnancy and lactation. These studies show that the endocannabinoid system plays a crucial role in the ontogeny of the central nervous system and its activation, during brain development, can induce subtle and long-lasting neurofunctional alterations.
PMID: 19607965 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Very well said.
that is interesting! thank you for sharing it. i tracked down a more complete version here:
https://m.medlineplus.gov/mlp/main/rw/web/news/fullstory_94451.htm
i do wish the sample size were larger... 3% of 7k is apparently 214 people, and they also smoked cigarettes and there was no control for other habits. they do say that it was worse to smoke the marijuana (reduced size more)... but i cannot discern if that is in conjunction with the tobacco or just the marijuana by itself.
uh, yes actually, there are.
https://www.fetal-exposure.org/resources/index.php/1998/06/01/cocaine-and-pregnancy/
and aren't you canadian?
"A new Canadian study suggests smoking marijuana while pregnant is an effective way to combat morning sickness, though researchers note the findings are far from conclusive."
https://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=749e9fc9-e581-4acd-9ee0-fcef72bc0825
i've linked several studies and articles relating studies over the course of this conversation. i am willing to make the choice to give it up for my baby's health, but i am not willing to assume that simply because something is illegal, it is definitely harmful. lots of legal things are harmful, and i see no reason to trust legislation on a number of issues that, at heart, are scientific or medical.
I don't think anyone understands that is the point you are trying to prove, and really it's not a very valid argument. One state saying they may put a mother in jail for 2 - 20 years is not worth saying that smoking a joint is okay. Your point on it's better for a mom to smoke one joint than to go to jail for 20 years definitely was never communicated.
That is something that helps the mother. I agree with the women that are saying even though a substance (ANY) is harmless on an adult it has chances of harming their unborn child. I love my baby too much to risk it's life with chances and mixed information. Same reason I gave up deli, (it may be harmful, but your chances are low) and other foods/substances that MAY harm my baby. I dont want to gamble with a life that is not my own.
Ok, but I linked scientific studies that say that cannabis IS harmful to fetuses, regardless of the law.
ok, this is ridiculous. why should my rights change when i conceive a child? you do realize that utah was trying to criminalize miscarriages, correct? how would you begin to prosecute that kind of case? most of the time there is no body so there wouldn't be a cause of death or a coroner's report to discuss in court... all there would be, is a woman and people making claims about her behavior.
that to me, is completely creepy. and that is why i think this conversation is necessary... there seem to be a lot of people who wouldn't hesitate to haul a mother away from a child just because she failed a drug test. it happens in a lot of states and it's not usually better for the child who ends up in foster care. i am happy to be pregnant, and i already love my child, but i am still pro-choice and this is still my body. the kind of attitude you espouse will lead to a pro-life nation. you need to look into what other things the court has deemed to be legal with regard to pregnant women. like, forced c-sections on cancer patients.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_1rwKMzcGc
https://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/main/publications/articles_and_reports/coercive_medicine.php
actually, i made it on the very first page, hours ago:
"why is it better to sentence a kid to 20 years without a mother if she smokes a joint? i'm seriously asking."
i wish more of you would read these threads thoroughly instead of arguing on a vague impression of what has been posted.
christ, woman... i'm talking to like 8-10 people here. have a little patience...
you provided a study which had already been posted and discussed. please see above. also, it still isn't conclusive, even according to the abstract (may cause). it will be interesting to see the followups.
I did click on your link and out of the works cited, most were actually from the 80's and early 90's. Marijuana has changed a lot on the last 10 years. It is being grown differently, there are now different types that have much higher THC levels than ever before. Not only that, who knows what other chemicals are being used to grow it. Pot is also being laced with many different things. The pot of today is not the same as it used to be. I used to be a very frequent pot smoker. I stopped a long time ago, but it isn't really the marijuna itself that bothers me, it is the what else could you be ingesting that is in it. Unless it is home grown (as in you grow it, you know it is pure) you really don't know what you are getting. I haven't smoked in almost 10 years and personally would not smoke pot while pregnant.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
My Blogs
https://littlebirdconfections.wordpress.com/
https://heismightyquinn.wordpress.com/
Yes, someone posted a link to an article in a magazine discussing the scientific study, which I later attached. I also attached another scientific study which was a review of the relevant scientific literature.
How many would you like?
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2005 Mar-Apr;27(2):221-9. Epub 2004 Dec 8.
Marijuana impairs growth in mid-gestation fetuses.
Hurd YL, Wang X, Anderson V, Beck O, Minkoff H, Dow-Edwards D.
Karolinska Institute, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Yasmin.hurd@cns.ki.se
Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is the most commonly used illicit drug by pregnant women, but information is limited about the effects of prenatal cannabis exposure on fetal development. The present study evaluated the influence of early maternal marijuana use on fetal growth. Women electing voluntary saline-induced abortions were recruited at a mid-gestational stage of pregnancy (weeks 17-22), and detailed drug use and medical histories were obtained. Toxicological assays (maternal urine and fetal meconium) were used in conjunction with the maternal report to assign groups. Subjects with documented cocaine and opiate use were excluded. Main developmental outcome variables were fetal weight, foot length, body length, and head circumference; ponderal index was also examined. Analyses were adjusted for maternal alcohol and cigarette use. Marijuana (n=44)- and nonmarijuana (n=95)-exposed fetuses had similar rates of growth with increased age. However, there was a 0.08-cm (95% CI -0.15 to -0.01) and 14.53-g (95% CI -28.21 to 0.86) significant reduction of foot length and body weight, respectively, for marijuana-exposed fetuses. Moreover, fetal foot length development was negatively correlated with the amount and frequency of marijuana use reported by the mothers. These findings provide evidence of a negative impact of prenatal marijuana exposure on the mid-gestational fetal growth even when adjusting for maternal use of other substances well known to impair fetal development.
PMID: 15734273 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
and again, you cited something with no citations at all.
i know exactly what is in mine because it comes from one of the clubs in san francisco. you can even get it grown organically. this is one reason i think it needs to be legalized. it is also a myth that it is much more potent than it was (i don't know what exactly you're claiming but the link below has some good, hard numbers in it)... i don't know when you were smoking, but if you are still around child-bearing age, it couldn't have been too long ago.
https://www.slate.com/id/2074151/
well put!!
so... the best you can do is one study that shows the feet of the fetuses are smaller, yet have similar rates of growth with age?
i take it all back... let's string up these mothers and their tiny-footed infants!
in all seriousness, i can't find any further detail about this study... like the sample size. doesn't that seem kind of important? it seems to me that there cannot be that many women in stockholm getting abortions between 17-22 weeks and using marijuana....
Pharmacogenomics J. 2006 Jul-Aug;6(4):255-64. Epub 2006 Feb 14.
Discrete opioid gene expression impairment in the human fetal brain associated with maternal marijuana use.
Wang X, Dow-Edwards D, Anderson V, Minkoff H, Hurd YL.
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Fetal development is a period sensitive to environmental influences such as maternal drug use. The most commonly used illicit drug by pregnant women is marijuana. The present study investigated the effects of in utero marijuana exposure on expression levels of opioid-related genes in the human fetal forebrain in light of the strong interaction between the cannabinoid and opioid systems. The study group consisted of 42 midgestation fetuses from saline-induced voluntary abortions. The opioid peptide precursors (preprodynorphin and preproenkephalin (PENK)) and receptor (mu, kappa and delta) mRNA expression were assessed in distinct brain regions. The effect of prenatal cannabis exposure was analyzed by multiple regression controlling for confounding variables (maternal alcohol and cigarette use, fetal age, sex, growth measure and post-mortem interval). Prenatal cannabis exposure was significantly associated with increased mu receptor expression in the amygdala, reduced kappa receptor mRNA in mediodorsal thalamic nucleus and reduced preproenkephalin expression in the caudal putamen. Prenatal alcohol exposure primarily influenced the kappa receptor mRNA with reduced levels in the amygdala, claustrum, putamen and insula cortex. No significant effect of prenatal nicotine exposure could be discerned in the present study group. These results indicate that maternal cannabis and alcohol exposure during pregnancy differentially impair opioid-related genes in distinct brain circuits that may have long-term effects on cognitive and emotional behaviors.
PMID: 16477274 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Sample size may be small, but it's a pathology study. So is this one. I don't understand what these things mean, but they do not sound good and I would not want any child to be exposed to something that is strongly associated with any damage of any kind.
Also, small foot size might sound funny, but it clearly indicates that they are negatively affected by the drug.
These are abstracts from the national libraries of medicine, whose index can be found here www.pubmed.com If you feel like ordering those studies you're welcome to but the abstracts summarize their findings.
Are you serious?!? Drinking and marijuana impair your JUDGEMENT! So that is why it IS the fault of alcohol/marijuana
This whole post has given me a headache, but it has been interesting to read through!
Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Dec 15;56(12):909-15.
In utero marijuana exposure associated with abnormal amygdala dopamine D2 gene expression in the human fetus.
Wang X, Dow-Edwards D, Anderson V, Minkoff H, Hurd YL.
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, Karolinska Institute, 171-76 Stockholm, Sweden.
BACKGROUND: Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is the illicit drug most used by pregnant women, and behavioral and cognitive impairments have been documented in cannabis-exposed offspring. Despite the extensive use of marijuana, very limited information exists as to the consequences of prenatal cannabis exposure on the developing human brain. METHODS: We optimized an in situ hybridization histochemistry technique to visualize mRNA expression in midgestation (weeks 18-22) human fetal specimens from mothers with and without documented evidence of cannabis use during pregnancy. The cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB(1)) and major dopamine receptor subtypes, D(1) and D(2), were examined in the striatum and mesocorticolimbic structures (amygdala and hippocampus). RESULTS: Adjusting for various covariates, we found a specific reduction, particularly in male fetuses, of the D(2) mRNA expression levels in the amygdala basal nucleus in association with maternal marijuana use. The reduction was positively correlated with the amount of maternal marijuana intake during pregnancy. No significant cannabis-related alterations were detected in the hippocampus or caudal striatum for the D(2), D(1), and CB(1) mRNA levels, although alcohol showed significant contribution to striatal D(1)/D(2) expression. CONCLUSIONS: These human fetal findings suggest that in utero cannabis exposure may impair distinct mesocorticolimbic neural systems that regulate emotional behavior.
PMID: 15601599 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Nice! so you know exactly what were talking about!!
again, these abstracts are not particularly informative. that's why i don't post them unless they are simple enough for a layperson like myself to discuss. you admit that you don't understand these things you're posting, and that's fine, but what you're doing now is being paranoid. there are a lot of things that are associated with "damage" to the fetus, and they aren't illegal, for one thing, and for another thing, women do them all the time. i can list examples like eating sushi or coldcuts without heating them properly. in conversations about those things, i get chastised for providing evidence of harm, because so many women do them without incident, that others are willing to gamble. other examples would be artificial sweeteners, such as the aspartame found in the benefiber i bought and now won't use and the crystal light packets a lot of users here talk about.
why doesn't anyone ever state that she quit talking to someone because they drank crystal light while they were pregnant? it's the reaction that i find so ridiculous. there are tons of things i gave up while pregnant, but i think it's kind of odd to think everyone else has to too, on pain of excommunication.