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What we do know is that THC is highly lipophilic — meaning it loves to hang around where there is fat and the brain is a very fat-rich organ. This raises the possibility that small amounts of THC, with repeated exposures, will accumulate in the developing brain- — a brain which requires optimal nutrition, exposure to a healthy environment where parents read to their babies and avoid screen time until age two.

In the U.S., where marijuana is not yet legal in all states, 36 per cent of women report having used marijuana at some point in their pregnancy and 18 per cent report having used it while breastfeeding.

There is limited Canadian data which will tell us how many women have elected or will elect to use marijuana while breastfeeding — both smoked and edible. Time will tell how diligently Canadian Public Health experts will collect data which may be helpful for future research.

Meanwhile, in the face of the uncertainty, both the AAP and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology encourage clinicians to tell lactating moms to abstain from all cannabis products while breastfeeding. (See www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/129/3/e827) But what about the lactating mother who uses these chemicals for medical reasons? Would it be better for her to use a formula to nourish the baby? Will the benefits of breastfeeding be “wiped out” by the adverse effects of THC on the baby’s developing brain?

Longitudinal research done in the 190’s by Astley et al (Neurotoxicol Tetrol. 1190;12 (2) 161-168) at a time when THC concentrations in marijuana was one-third of what they are today, suggest that psychomotor and neurodevelopmental deficits exist in infants exposed to THC