High Risk: Another Study Finds Marijuana Use During Pregnancy Harms Newborns

Yet another study has found a possible link between marijuana use during pregnancy and lower birthweight.

Decreased birthweight is associated with health problems and developmental delays in children.

Researchers from Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University surveyed pregnant women at 23 clinics across Michigan between 2017 and 2022. The study found 15% of women surveyed indicated they used marijuana during pregnancy.

Time and again, science has shown a link between marijuana use during pregnancy and harm to unborn and newborn children.

In 2021, researchers in California found infants were 35% more likely to die within a year of birth if the mother used marijuana heavily; the study also found that infants were more likely to be born preterm, have a low birth weight, and be small for their gestational age.

A 2022 study published in JAMA Pediatrics showed children and adolescents face an increased risk of mental disorder if their mothers used marijuana during pregnancy.

Researchers found marijuana use during pregnancy was associated with attention, social, and behavioral problems that last as children enter early adolescence and may put children at an increased risk of mental disorders and substance use as they grow older.

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.

The study also found newborns exposed to marijuana in utero suffered from smaller head circumference — which could indicate inadequate brain development during pregnancy.

All of this underscores what we have said for years: 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.