NEWS: The Age 25 Mar 03: Smoking pot may hurt baby

[BigTrancer]

Smoking pot may hurt baby
March 25 2003
By Stephen Cauchi
Science Reporter

Pregnant women who smoke marijuana could be exposing their unborn children to lasting mental defects.

Italian researchers found that by injecting pregnant rats with an artificial cannabis substance called WIN, the rats mimicked a low to moderate dose of marijuana received by a human smoker. The rats' offspring scored lower on learning tests than rats whose mothers had not been given the dose.

The substance also disrupted both the release of a neurotransmitter called glutamate, and electrical activity associated with learning.

The present study provided evidence that maternal exposure to WIN induced the impairment of memory retention capacities in the offspring, wrote the 10-member research team, from the Italian universities of Cagliari, Ferrara, Bari and Rome.

"Memory impairment in prenatally WIN-exposed rats... seems to be a persistent condition, present at both 40 and 80 days of age," the researchers said.

"These findings could provide an explanation of cognitive alterations observed in children born from women who use marijuana during pregnancy."

Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug among women of reproductive age.

Previous studies investigating the links between marijuana-smoking mothers and pregnancy time, foetal growth, and the behaviour of their children have produced conflicting results.

The research was published in an American journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

From: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/24/1048354542150.html

Well... common sense isn't all that common, I guess - personally I don't think ANY drugs should be used during pregnancy.

BigTrancer

 

[sydkiwi]

bt: are there anymore studies with pot directly linked with pregnancy??

we have a mate whos pregnant and smoking pot like a chimley. and are very concerned for the poor kid

 

[wazza]

Sydkiwi, and anyone else who wants to read up about smoking pot while pregnant, click here

 

[BigTrancer]

PLEASE tell your pregnant friend to QUIT ALL DRUGS!

BigTrancer.

 

[Cowboy Mac]

if i was pregnant (which is unlikely) i wouldnt touch any kind of chemical, i would even go as far as making sure i used organic products rather than those containing many chemicals such as shampoos etc, its the health of your baby ffs! smoking pot may harm your baby? THC crosses the placenta anyway, avoid all drugs for the health of your baby!

 

[killarava2day]

I'm pretty sure that there would be a big difference between actually smoking marijuana and injecting someone with an 'artificial' cannibas substance that mimicks a moderate dose of marijuana. I fail to see how an experiment like this has much credibility when it isn't even conducted using the substances it purports to be showing the effects of, this reeks of misinformation and propaganda IMO

 

[BigTrancer]

Smoking anything causes some chemicals to be absorbed into the blood in the place of oxygen, that's how the drugs are absorbed. Therefore, just as smoking tobacco is discouraged in pregnant women, so smoking marijuana should equally be discouraged, as it upsets the blood-oxygen supply to the foetus. This can mean the foetus doesn't get enough oxygen, and may be born lighter, smaller, and underdeveloped. Smaller babies have a higher risk of complications after birth; infections, severe jaundice, difficulty feeding, breathing problems, low blood sugar, difficulty regulating temperature, bleeding into the brain, and problems with vision are often related to low-birthweight children.

Notwithstanding chemical effects on the baby before, or after birth, while high on marijuana the mother's judgment may be impaired. Secondary behavioral changes may interfere with a mother's ability to care for her infant or to breastfeed adequately. THC and metabolite products HAVE been seen to reduce prolactin in breast milk, and when mother's have breastfed their child the same day as smoking those same THC metabolites have been detected in the child. Whether these metabolites cause learning defects or other problems is a matter that requires more study.

Howard, C.R., and Lawrence, R.A., "Breastfeeding and drug exposure.", Obst. Gynecol. Clin. of Nth. Am. 25(1), pp. 195-217, (1998).

While it's difficult to find reliable studies based on actual marijuana smoking (as many women are reluctant to admit to taking drugs during pregnancy), there HAVE been extensive studies involving Dronabinol - a man-made copy of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Dronabinol is specifically indicated for treatment of anorexia and weight loss in AIDS patients (as an appetite stimulant), and to treat nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy patients who don't respond to normal anti-emetics.

From RxList:

Pregnancy Category C. - Reproduction studies with dronabinol have been performed in mice at 15 to 450 mg/m², equivalent to 0.2 to 5 times maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) of 90 mg/m²/day in cancer patients or 1 to 30 times MRHD of 15 mg/m²/day in AIDS patients, and in rats at 74 to 295 mg/m² (equivalent to 0.8 to 3 times MRHD of 90 mg/m² in cancer patients or 5 to 20 times MRHD of 15 mg/m²/day in AIDS patients). These studies have revealed no evidence of teratogenicity due to dronabinol. At these dosages in mice and rats, dronabinol decreased maternal weight gain and number of viable pigs and increased fetal mortality and early resorptions. Such effects were dose dependent and less apparent at lower doses which produced less maternal toxicity. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Dronabinol should be used only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Nursing Mothers - Use of Marinol is not recommended in nursing mothers since, in addition to the secretion of HIV virus in breast milk, dronabinol is concentrated in and secreted in human breast milk and is absorbed by the nursing baby.

OK so a lot of the information is fairly incomplete - however I personally feel that in the interests of Harm Reduction, a pregnant mother should avoid taking drugs that could cause harm to the unborn foetus. I mean, there's no research to say that smoking choof when you're pregnant makes your baby fitter, smarter and healthier... so if only for the reason that the chance of harm is unknown, drugs should be avoided during pregnancy.

Don't get me wrong, I think smoking marijuana is great, and it CAN be hard to stop for a regular, high-dose user. However, IMO taking drugs while pregnant is utterly selfish and immature, and conceptually amounts to the same thing as drugging someone without their knowledge, should the baby go to full term.

I can also provide a New Scientist article that points to a doubling of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) risk caused by marijuana smoking fathers if anyone is interested.

BigTrancer

 

[sydkiwi]

unfortunatly bt we have tried

She wont stop unless we have absolute proof theres links between pot and birth defects.

and it doesnt help that the father of the kids ex girlfriend who had 2 kids to him smoked the whole way thru the pregnancy. I havent met the kids but he swears theres nothing wrong with them
I think they 7 & 8??

 

[insomnia]

I agree, People just shouldnt take drugs during pregancy there is soo much risk involved... even if there is no definate proof.

People who choose to ignore this fact are foolish.

 

[superbabydoc]

If you are really worried, and this idiot of a woman won't listen, you could always report the mother to DOCS...BTW if a friend of mine did this, I wouldn't stay their friend for long.

 

[flutter]

This said girl is also a friend of mine. I'm going to bombard her with this info next time i see her.

It makes me so mad that they can't even give up pot for 1 year for the sake of their babies health!!!!!

I still don't think they will listen though but i'll give it a try.