It’s federally illegal but marijuana is legal recreationally or medically across dozens of states, and pregnant women who use it and their children are at the heart of new research.
That research — out of Oregon Health and Science University — finds that the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis may impact lung function in children.
Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is the focus of the first study on the effects of maternal THC consumption on a child’s respiratory health.
Dr. Jamie Lo, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at OHSU, led the team of researchers.
In the study, her team gave a THC gummy to pregnant primates daily with a separate group receiving a placebo.
The monkeys received regular sonograms examining the development of their fetus, and tests were also done for pulmonary function in infants over six months old.
“When moms were using cannabis during pregnancy, the fetus had smaller lung volume. The size of the lung in the areas that are available to hold oxygen are smaller. There’s decreased capacity for oxygen and blood flow,” said Dr. Lo. “All these things can affect breathing later.”
That decreased lung volume started early in fetal development and continued after birth.
Lo says the study was inspired by her patients who wanted to know how safe continuing with marijuana would be during pregnancy, but there was a lack of safety data to give a factual answer.
“Patients were sharing that they were using cannabis for their morning sickness, nausea, vomiting. Similarly, when they talked to me about smoking cigarettes or alcohol, also for similar relief, I’m able to give them safety data,” said Lo. “What we’ve been finding is there’s been impacts to the baby’s heart, the lung, the brain.”
We visited multiple marijuana dispensaries where employees said they themselves and pregnant women they know did not experience any adverse side effects from using marijuana while pregnant, nor did their children.
They declined to go on camera citing a warning they’re obligated to show pregnant customers.
The warning from the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC), the state governed agency regulating the industry, says cannabis may harm a baby if a mother uses it while pregnant or breastfeeding.
“My first instinct is to consult with a doctor directly. We don’t typically recommend anything psychoactive for somebody who’s pregnant,” said Roxanne Maund, general manager, New Millennium dispensary. “In the past, I have heard things from other pregnant women who have spoken to a doctor, and they’ve indicated that if you are a long time THC user, that it is beneficial to continue using in small doses so you don’t send your body into a shock from that cold turkey stopping.”
According to the CDC, the drug makes infants and those with developing brains most at risk to negative effects as it affects the part of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and decision-making.
As part of the NIH Heal Initiative to end addiction, OHSU is also conducting a large human study alongside the monkey study observing kids with fetal exposure to THC through age 9.
The primate study is published in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology.
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