Pubdate: Thu, 13 Feb 2014
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2014 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: Hazel Kush

WHAT'S THE SAFEST WAY TO INDULGE AROUND BABIES?

Dear Stoner: I know the Stoner is on paternity leave. So I wonder, as 
a parent of a newborn, what precautions do you take when smoking marijuana?

Baby Buds

Dear Sugar Babe: This is Hazel Kush, guest Stoner - and also a new 
mom. There isn't a whole lot of scientific research that's been done 
on the effects of marijuana on newborns - partially because parents 
who puff aren't likely to be 100 percent honest about it when 
questioned, and partially because the few studies that have been 
conducted don't always control for other substance use, so research 
subjects could be puffing ganja, smoking cigarettes and downing 
alcohol. How do you pinpoint which substance caused a problem under 
those circumstances?

All that said, there are some guidelines that parents of newborns 
should think about before packing up that celebratory post-partum 
bowl. If Mom is breastfeeding, she'll want to continue abstaining 
from any products containing marijuana. And because THC is 
fat-soluble - and breast milk is high in fat - it's unlikely that 
pumping and dumping any milk made after the buzz wears off would get 
rid of all the THC in the milk; that THC could be stored in your 
little miracle's fatty tissue for several weeks. Not only is that 
undesirable from an infant-health standpoint, but if for some awful 
reason your child has to go to the hospital and has his or her blood 
tested there, you could find yourself dealing with the authorities 
instead of merely a hefty hospital bill.

Dad gets a little bit more leeway - but he shouldn't go sparking up 
any blunts just yet! Cigarette smoking in both parents has been 
linked to a significant increase in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome 
(SIDS) as a result of secondhand-smoke exposure. Granted, cigarette 
smoke and pot smoke are not exactly the same, but to err on the safe 
side, Pops should don a smoking jacket and step outside before 
lighting up. Then take the jacket off and wash up - at least your 
hands, but preferably your face and teeth, too - before picking up 
the baby again.

Of course, there are ways to partake that don't involve smoke at all, 
like using a vaporizer or edibles. Those are safer than smoking at 
this stage of your kid's development, so consider switching methods 
until your baby is at least a year old and no longer at high risk for SIDS.

And as with drinking, make sure there's always at least one sober 
adult in the house who can drive your little bundle of joy quickly 
and safely to the hospital should the need arise.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom