- Researchers say they looked at 9,000 pregnancies and concluded cannabis is associated with a number of unhealthy pregnancy outcomes.
- They noted that they used testing rather than self-reporting, as in other studies, because of the amount of contradictory information about cannabis’ effect on pregnancies.
- The researchers concluded that exposure to cannabis was associated with a 1.5-fold increase in risk for people who are pregnant.
Despite cannabis being used as a remedy for a variety of health issues the past decade as legalization becomes more prevalent, its effect on pregnant women has been uncertain.
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The University of Utah researchers looked at more than 9,000 pregnant women from eight medical centers across the United States.
They concluded that cannabis is associated with “a composite measure of unhealthy pregnancy outcomes, especially low birth weight, and that higher exposure is associated with higher risks.”
The study authors wrote that in the past decade the percentage of people in the United States using medical marijuana has more than doubled due to legalization in many states.
They also wrote that their study was larger and measured cannabis exposure more accurately, which had the effect of better distinguishing cannabis’ effects from those caused by other correlated health conditions.
“Cannabis use is not safe,” said Dr. Robert Silver, a University of Utah professor of obstetrics and gynecology and one of the study’s authors, in a statement. “It increases the risk of pregnancy complications. If possible, you shouldn’t use cannabis during pregnancy.”
The study authors added that they wanted to answer questions about the safety of cannabis during pregnancy, at least partially because of contradictory…
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