- Women who use marijuana during pregnancy are one and a half times more likely to have a child with autism than those who do not.
- The study, with more than half a million women, follows past research that suggests that pot use is linked to lower birth weight.
- While the study had shortcomings such as not being able to show cause-and-effect, the authors say it suggests that pot use should be recommended against during pregnancy, just as alcohol is.
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Marijuana use during pregnancy has been linked to a 50% greater chance of having a child with autism, according to the largest study of its kind.
The study, published Monday in Nature Medicine, looked at data from more than half a million women in Ontario, Canada – about 3,000 of whom reported using cannabis during pregnancy and about 2,200 of those reporting using cannabis and no other substances .
They found that 2.2% of women who used marijuana had children with autism compared to 1.4% of women who did not use cannabis but had similar characteristics, such as age, education, and social status. -economic status.
The authors of the study say that although their study was incomplete, the results are worrying, especially considering that cannabis in Canada was illegal in the period (2007 to 2012) collecting the data.
“The universal recommendation is not alcohol use in pregnancy and I think a similar recommendation should be made for no cannabis use in pregnancy,” said co-author Dr. Daniel Corsi, an epidemiologist at The Ottawa Hospital and BORN Ontario, told the Guardian.
Research is growing that marijuana use during pregnancy can have lasting effects on children
The findings follow research from the same team that marijuana use during pregnancy increases the risk of other complications such as premature birth.
One 2018 study in Colorado found that women who reported using cannabis while pregnant had a 50% chance of lower birth weights.
Other research has shown that marijuana use during pregnancy can affect a child’s brain development. It seems to link to lower IQs, attention problems, and more impulsivity.
Such research led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2019 to issue a statement on the dangers of using CBD and THC, two of the most important compounds found in cannabis while pregnant as well as breastfeeding, Insider’s Julia Naftulin previously reported.
Yet cannabis use during pregnancy appears to be on the rise, often as a way to treat nausea. According to a January 2019 letter to JAMA Pediatrics, marijuana use during pregnancy in the US increased from 2.9% in 2002 to 5% in 2016.
The study could not show any cause and effect
The study did not identify how much cannabis the women used, how often, when, and the method used. Even reported data are also defective.
The study also only showed a link between marijuana use and autism, but could not prove cause and effect. For example, there may be something that drives certain women to use potty during pregnancy, which also increases their risk of having children with autism.
But while more research is needed, the study should inform about discussions doctors have with parents to be with, the study’s authors said.
“In the past, we have not had good data on the effect of cannabis on pregnancies,” Corsi said in a press release. “This is one of the largest studies on this topic to date. We hope our findings will help women and their health care providers make informed decisions.”
