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Marijuana use during pregnancy can have a significant impact on the health of unborn babies, a new joint study by Western University and Queen’s University researchers says.

By studying rats and human placenta cells in lab, researchers found regular exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, during pregnancy has significant impact on the development of placenta and fetus.

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Maternal exposure to THC also has an impact on both organ development in the fetus and gene instructions essential to the function of the placenta.

“This is the first study to definitively support the fact that THC alone has a direct impact on placental and fetal growth” study co-author and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry associate professor Dan Hardy said in a statement.

“This data supports clinical studies that suggest cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with low birth weight babies. Clinical data is complicated because it is confounded by other factors such as socioeconomic status.”