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. When a breastfeeding mother uses marijuana, the baby can be exposed to THC and other toxins stored in the mother’s fat tissues, which are slowly released over time, even after the mother has stopped using marijuana.
Explore the various risks of marijuana use during pregnancy and breastfeeding through the resources below. Access expert insights, research updates, training courses, videos, and our new PhotoVoice project—designed to empower mothers with knowledge and support.
Voices of Strength: Stories of Mothers in Photos
Mothers. Fighters. Survivors. Through the PhotoVoice: Empowering Mothers and Mothers-to-be to Build Drug-Free Families, women with lived experience of substance use came together to tell their stories through powerful images and words. Each photo is a window into the journey of healing — revealing strength, struggle, and the hope that fuels recovery.
We invite you to explore the Virtual Exhibit → and witness these courageous stories. Whether you’re a mother in recovery, someone walking alongside one, or simply seeking inspiration — this space is for you.
You are not alone. Healing is possible. And your story matters.
Educational Videos
Click on each image below to download. If you would like hard copies, click here to place your request.
FREE Trainings
Webinar Series: Join us for an educational webinar series exploring the multifaceted impacts of prenatal marijuana exposure and its implications for parenting. Each session features diverse subject matter experts, offering comprehensive insights and evidence-based discussions to empower parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with leading voices in the field and deepen your understanding of this critical topic.
Missed a webinar? Click the relevant link below to view the recording.
- Fetal and Neonatal Marijuana Exposure: Speaking for Those Unable to Speak for Themselves, featuring Leeann Blaskowsky, APRN, NNC-BC
- Women and Weed, featuring Dr. LaTisha Bader
- Substance Use Treatment During Pregnancy, featuring Sabrina Pooran, LMHC, CAP
- Cultivating Wellness: Building Your Self-Care Toolkit, featuring Marisela Cigliuti, RN, BSN
- Marijuana and Mother’s Milk: What We Know, featuring International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Mirine Richey, MPH, IBCLC
- The Biological Component of Behavioral Health and Marijuana Use, featuring Certified Addictionologist, Dr. Evelyn Higgins
- Brain-Based Tools for Parenting, featuring Dr. Crystal Collier
- It’s Just Pot, What’s the Big Deal – Case from the Front Lines, featuring Dr. Roneet Lev
- The Dangerous Truth of Today’s Marijuana: Johnny’s Stack Life’s and Death Story, featuring Laura Stack, Johnny’s Ambassadors
- Food and “Mood” During the Perinatal Period featuring Dr. Nathaniel Johnson
- Amplifying Women’s Voices Through Creative Expression featuring Mulka Nisic and Dr. David Patton
- It is not “just weed” anymore: What to know and how to help pregnant and postpartum women using cannabis/THC featuring Dr. Hendree Jones
- Parent Perspectives on Youth Cannabis Use and Mental Health: Impacts, Challenges and Recommendations, featuring Dr. Moore, Zena Rodill, Ellen Snelling and Skye
- Approaches and Management to Newborns with Prenatal Opioid Exposure, cohosted with Global Women’s Network featuring Dr. Alison Sweeney
- Vaping, Edibles, and the Developing Brain: What Can We Learn from Animal Models, featuring Dr. Khokar
- Drug Endangered Children – Often the Forgotten Ones. featuring National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (DEC). Visit DEC here.
FREE Online Course: To deepen your understanding of marijuana and its implications on health and safety, take our online course that delves into the history and cultural aspects of marijuana use. This course covers a wide range of topics, including:
- The evolution of marijuana potency and the diversity of products
- Marketing strategies and safety concerns
- The impacts of marijuana use on the mind and body
- Specific effects during pregnancy and while breastfeeding
Research
- ACOG Releases New Guidance: No Safe Level of Cannabis Use in Pregnancy or Postpartum
- What the science shows
- Pregnancy and marijuana: Why the science cannot be ignored
- THC and Pregnancy, Presented by Dr. Weiner
- Marijuana use during pregnancy linked to increased risk of ADHD, autism and intellectual disability in children
- Prenatal cannabis use and maternal pregnancy outcomes
- 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 exposure: 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
- Cannabis use during pregnancy correlates with adverse maternal mental health outcomes: A retrospective study
- 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.
