Research continues to show marijuana use during pregnancy hurts unborn children.
A study published on Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics highlighted how marijuana exposure in the womb is linked to poorer attention span, worse planning abilities, and with increased aggression during early childhood.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time researchers have found evidence that marijuana use during pregnancy is dangerous.
A 2021 study out of California found infants were 35% more likely to die within a year of birth if their mother used marijuana heavily, and that infants were more likely to be born preterm, have a low birth weight, and be small for their gestational age.
A 2023 study published in the journal Frontiers In Pediatrics found marijuana use during pregnancy could decrease a newborn’s birthweight by approximately one-third of a pound.
Writing in JAMA Internal Medicine over the summer, researchers announced that using marijuana during pregnancy raises a woman’s risk of developing gestational hypertension (high blood pressure), preeclampsia, weight gain, and placental abruption.
And a study published this year found women who used marijuana during pregnancy faced a staggering 631% greater risk of fetal death.
All of this underscores what we have said for year: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
