- A study of 322 babies and their mothers found that cannabis-using mothers are more likely to have anxious and hyperactive children.
- The researchers compared placenta from moms who had used and didn’t use cannabis during pregnancy. The study also examined the behavior of children up to age 6.
- There is not much research to date on the effects of cannabis on offspring outcomes. Therefore, doctors recommend that you abstain from using it.
According to ACDC, children who were exposed via their mother’s birth control to cannabis are more likely exhibit aggression, high anxiety and hyperactivity. Small studyPublished in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
An increasing number of pregnant women are considering cannabis for pain relief and nausea. Yasmin L.hurd, the lead author of the study and director of the Addiction Insitute at Mount Sinai, says that this is because they are more open to the idea of cannabis. Submitted to Scientific American.
“Our studies are about empowering them with knowledge and education so that they can make decisions,”Scientific American quoted Hurd.
According to Daniele Piomelli (director of the Center for the Study of Cannabis, University of California Irvine), this is the first study that directly examines the relationship between cannabis and human offsprings.
Although research is still limited and non-conclusive, doctors advise pregnant women to abstain using cannabis during pregnancy. Insider previously reported that cannabis use during pregnancy could increase the risk for low birth weight, preterm delivery, and autism in children.
From the time they were born, 322 babies were observable in their wombs until 6 years old
Hurd and her team looked at how cannabis use during pregnancy might affect babies in the womb. Hurd studied 322 parents and their kids, starting at birth and ending when the babies were 6.
Researchers took placenta samples from each baby’s mother to test their genetic composition. To analyze stress responses, researchers measured the babies’ hair and heart beats at 3 years of age.
The study authors also evaluated anxiety, hyperactivity and aggression while controlling for external factors such as cigarette smoking and parents’ anxiety levels. These tests were performed until the babies reached 6.
The study found that babies whose mothers had used cannabis during pregnancy were more likely have had an abortion. underfunctioning placental tissueThe study authors found that cannabis can lower the immune system’s response to it. The study authors found that children whose mothers had used cannabis were more likely to be anxious and hyperactive.
Research is necessary to determine if other factors may impact aggression or stress.
Some limitations were found in the study.
Because children can become stressed, anxious, aggressive, and hyperactive for a variety reasons (like their parents’ marital status and age) it is not clear whether cannabis caused these adverse outcomes in the participants of the study. CNN.
The mothers of the study also self-reported their cannabis use. Therefore, the study authors could not be certain of the exact amount or their history of cannabis use prior to pregnancy.