Marijuana and the Risks to Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Marijuana contains almost 500 components including the psychoactive ingredient THC that can pass through the placenta to the baby during pregnancy, causing harm to the fetus.
Marijuana use by a breastfeeding mother can expose the newborn to toxins stored in the mother’s fat tissues and slowly released to baby, even after the mother has stopped using.
Learn about the various risks of using marijuana during pregnancy and while breastfeeding through the resources below.
English
Spanish
Click on each image below to download. If you would like hard copies, click here to place your request.
Educational Webinar Series
- “Fetal/Neonatal Marijuana Exposure: Speaking for those unable to speak for themselves” by Leeann Blaskowsky, DNP, APRN, NNC-BC, C-ELBW, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
- “Women and Weed” by Dr. LaTisha Bader webinar recording and PPT
- “Substance Use Treatment During Pregnancy” by Sabrina Pooran webinar recording and PPT
- “Cultivating Wellness: Building Your Personal Self-Care Toolkit” by Marisela Cigliuti webinar recording and PPT
- “Marijuana and Mother’s Milk: What We Know” by Mirine Richey, MPH, IBCLC webinar recording and PPT
- “The Biological Component of Behavioral Health and Marijuana Use” by Dr. Evelyn Higgins, DC, C Ad, DABDA, DACACD webinar recording
- “Brain-Based Tools for Parenting” by Dr. Crystal Collier, PhD, LPC-S webinar recording and PPT
Research
- Marijuana use during pregnancy linked to increased risk of ADHD, autism and intellectual disability in children
- Prenatal cannabinoid exposure: why expecting individuals should take a pregnancy pause from using cannabinoid products
- NIDA issues press release highlighting drastic rise in overdoses deaths among pregnant and postpartum girls ages 10 to 44
- Neonatal outcomes associated with in utero cannabis expsoure: a population-based retrospective cohort study
- The first “hit” to the endocannabinoid system?
- Are health care providers caring for pregnant and postpartum women ready to confront the perinatal cannabis use challenge?
- Cannabis exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes related to placental function
- Marijuana and pregnancy infographic
- Marijuana use in pregnancy and neonatal exposure: What we know!
- Prenatal THC exposure linked to aggression, anxiety, and hyperactivity in new study
- Largest Long-Term Study on Children’s Development in U.S. Finds Prenatal Marijuana Use Affects Child For Many Years
- Shift in Trends of Prenatal Substance Use Observed with Rapid Increase in Prenatal Marijuana Use
- Adverse neonatal outcomes associated with maternal marijuana use during pregnancy
- Prenatal THC exposure linked to aggression, anxiety, and hyperactivity in new study
- Cease marijuana use immediately if pregnant, new research on health outcomes released
- Heavy Marijuana Use During Pregnancy Associated with Poorer Medical and Psychiatric Outcomes
- Prenatal THC exposure increases during COVID-19 pandemic
- The Canary in the Coalmine: Rising Rates of Prenatal THC Exposure in FL
- Prenatal THC Exposure Can Lead to Psychotic Behaviors in Childhood
- Study Finds Link Between Prenatal THC Exposure and Autism
- Prenatal THC exposure associated with sleep disorders in children
- Lax oversight and unscrupulous physicians–a perfect recipe for skyrocketing marijuana use among pregnant women in FL
- Study finds maternal cannabis use higher in states with legalized recreational cannabis
- Parental marijuana use associated with increased risk of substance use among adolescent and young adult offspring
- Alarming trends of marijuana use among pregnant women in the U.S.
- Learn about Prevent Child Abuse Florida and Healthy Families Florida
Social Media
Help raise awareness and educate about the health risks of using marijuana during pregnancy and while breastfeeding by sharing memes on social media. See below for samples and click here to access a suite of about 40 different memes available in English and Creole.
