Atlanta, GA: Cannabis exposure during pregnancy is not independently associated with lower birthweight among infants, according to data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assessed the relationship between maternal marijuana exposure and birthweight. They reported that infants, on average, weighed no less than controls after researchers controlled for cofounders, particularly the maternal tobacco use. Investigators also failed to observe “significant effects of marijuana use during pregnancy and preterm birth or healthcare utilization.”

Overall, they reported that the prevalence of marijuana use during pregnancy was “low.”

The study’s findings are consistent with prior data suggesting “that the increased risk for adverse neonatal outcomes reported in women using marijuana in pregnancy is likely the result of coexisting use of tobacco and other cofounding factors and not attributable to marijuana use itself.”

For more information, contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, “Marijuana use during and after pregnancy and association of prenatal use on birth outcomes: A population-based study,” appears in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. NORML’s fact-sheet, “Maternal Marijuana Use and Childhood Outcomes,” appears online.

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