Pubdate: Thu, 16 Jul 2015
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540

TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU WANT TO SMOKE POT WHILE PREGNANT

Should women smoke or consume marijuana while pregnant?

In his recent The 420 columns, our resident cannabis expert Ngaio 
Bealum-who conceded that he is not a medical expert-wrote that weed 
use during pregnancy should be a personal decision. He rightly noted 
that, like all things marijuana, current medical research is insufficient.

We'd like to point out recent studies that show using marijuana while 
pregnant is probably not a good idea.

One study, under the umbrella of the National Institute of Health, 
says that "cannabis use both during pregnancy and lactation ... may 
adversely affect neurodevelopment, especially during periods of 
critical brain growth both in the developing fetal brain and during 
adolescent maturation."

The reports also explained that marijuana use by the mother can lead 
to growth reductions in the fetus.

So, while Bealum is correct that the current research is inadequate, 
we advise expecting mothers to abstain from marijuana use during and 
immediately after pregnancy. The fact is that it can cause harm. 
Please speak with your doctor if you're thinking about using pot while pregnant.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom