Can I Smoke Pot When I’m Pregnant?

Maybe your morning sickness is really bad and you think smoking marijuana will help ease your nausea. Or maybe you are really anxious about becoming a mom or about going through labor and you want to smoke pot to settle your nerves. And now that marijuana is legal both for medicinal and recreational uses in California, you could smoke pot without breaking any laws. But is it a good idea?

Before you consume cannabis in any form during your pregnancy, you should consider these 4 things.

1. Doctors advise pregnant women not to smoke pot. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant should discontinue all marijuana use. [1]
2. Smoking pot could affect your baby’s brain development. Research in rats suggests that the THC in cannabis crosses the placenta and can cause profound effects on brain development. Babies exposed to marijuana in the womb may have a higher-pitched cry, respond differently to visual stimulation and tremble more than babies not exposed to marijuana. [2]
3. Exposure to pot during pregnancy could make it harder for your child to succeed in school. Research shows that children who were exposed to pot in the womb demonstrate long-term effects. When they are in school, they have a harder time paying attention, solving problems and remembering things.[3]
4. You could put your baby at risk for other complications, including low birth-weight, premature birth or even stillbirth (when a baby dies in the womb). Smoking pot increases your exposure to carbon monoxide gas. This affects how much oxygen your baby gets, which affects how much your baby grows. [4]

If you have smoked pot at all during your pregnancy, be honest with your doctor about how often you have used marijuana. If you want to talk about ways to quit, we are here to provide you with information and resources. All of our services are confidential and offered at no cost to you. Feel free to leave a message in the comments below or call us at 530.272.6800.

[1] http://www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Obstetric-Practice/Marijuana-Use-During-Pregnancy-and-Lactation

[2] Trezza V, Campolongo P, Cassano T, et al. Effects of perinatal exposure to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on the emotional reactivity of the offspring: a longitudinal behavioral study in Wistar rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008;198(4):529-537. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1162-3.

[3] Goldschmidt L, Day NL, Richardson GA. Effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on child behavior problems at age 10. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2000;22(3):325-336.

[4] http://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/marijuana.aspx