Cannabis use during pregnancy up 25% during the pandemic

Cannabis use during pregnancy saw a 25% increase in the state of California during first few months of the pandemic. The increase is of concern because of a long list of risks. “Cannabis use has been associated with an increased risk of anemia during pregnancy in the mom, small-for-gestational age birth, congenital anomalies – particularly gastroschisis, increased NICU admissions, and most severely neonatal death. The potential longer-term effects on the child include deficits in memory, attention and impulse control as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety, externalizing and delinquent behavior,” said Lyndsay Avalos, PhD, co-author of a research letter recently published in JAMA. She is a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) division of research. Cannabis use among pregnant women is has increased in recent years across the US jumping from an estimated 3.4% in 2002 to 7.0% in 2017, the study said. Read: Significant numbers of marijuana users continue use during pregnancy mistakenly thinking it's safe The KPNC researchers speculate an increase during the pandemic was likely a response to increased stressors such as social isolation, financial and psychosocial distress, increased childcare burden, changes in prenatal care, and concerns about risks of COVID-19 infection. In California, cannabis retailers were deemed essential businesses, remained opened throughout 2020 and saw record overall sales. “It’s very possible that more women are using cannabis during pregnancy in an attempt to self-medicate these issues during the pandemic,” said Kelly Young-Wolff, PhD, another co-author of the paper. She is an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California. The study was done by analyzing data from the KPNC, a large integrated health care delivery system which serves more than 4-million socio-demographically diverse patients across Northern California. The centers provide universal screening for substance use at entrance to prenatal care at about eight weeks gestation. While some women were screened for cannabis use multiple times throughout pregnancy, the study only used data from the universal screening conducted for all pregnant women at entrance to prenatal care, said Dr. Young-Wolff. Screening was done via urine toxicology tests conducted from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2020. Data were attained for 100,005 pregnancies for this time period. The women had a mean age of 31 years and there were negligible differences in age or race and ethnicity in the pre and during the pandemic periods. The mean monthly sample size for screening in the months before the pandemic was 4,189, while the mean monthly sample size in the months during COVID-19 was 4,130. Researchers found that before the pandemic, 6.75% of women used cannabis prenatally. And this number increased to 8.14% of pregnancies during the pandemic. Overall, “we found that prenatal cannabis use increased by 25% during the pandemic over prenatal cannabis use during the 15 months before the pandemic,” the paper said. The findings are consistent with an increase seen in cannabis sales in California during the same period. “Recent studies suggest that cannabis retailers and the media may contribute to the perception that cannabis is harmless and even beneficial. Our previous research has shown that the prevalence and frequency of prenatal cannabis use is increasing over time and that pregnant women are more likely to use cannabis if they are depressed, anxious, or have experienced trauma,” Dr. Young-Wolff told the Medical Post in an email. California legalized the possession, cultivation and use of cannabis for personal use on November 9, 2016 and allowed for the sale and taxation of recreational cannabis beginning on January 1, 2018. Because cannabis is legalized for more general use in many places, and its use is more common, doctors need to talk to their patients about it. “Pregnant women deserve non-punitive health care where they can disclose substance use and get help when needed. It is important that information about prenatal substance use not be used to exploit or stigmatize women but instead to help empower women to make informed decisions to protect their health and the health of their baby,” said Dr. Young-Wolff. In a commentary in an earlier edition of JAMA, Dr. Young-Wolff and colleagues noted that one study found that 69% of cannabis retailers recommended CBD products for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. This was from a study where retailers received a simulated call (part of the study design) from a pregnant woman. “Many women using cannabis during pregnancy believe that cannabis carries little risk and perceive it as a natural substitute for prescribed medications used to treat mental health and pregnancy-related symptoms,” they said. A 2020 Canadian study by researchers from Queen’s University, in Canadian Family Physician stated that cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug during pregnancy with some self-reported rates of use in pregnancy being 2% to 5% which is likely an underestimate. One study reported that 14% of women who did use cannabis during pregnancy were heavy users, smoking one or more joints daily during the first trimester of pregnancy, with lower numbers in the other two trimesters. They cautioned that evidence shows that in utero exposure to cannabis has been associated with long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes that persist into young adulthood and concluded that “There is no known safe level of cannabis use during pregnancy or lactation. Pregnant women should be counseled regarding the risks of in utero exposure and encouraged to abstain from use in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.”

Cannabis use during pregnancy up 25% during the pandemic

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics