Some Mums are choosing to smoke weed during pregnancy to combat morning sickness – and ‘budtenders’ in legal weed shops even recommend special strains.
Weed is less dangerous than prescribed drugs, the parents argue, although most doctors disagree. A CNN investigation found that 70% of legal cannabis dispensaries recommended cannabis products to callers claiming to be pregnant women, in an investigation of 400 dispensaries. Dr. Torri Metz, a high-risk obstetrician at Denver Health in Colorado said according to High Times, ‘I was really surprised. I did not expect dispensaries to be recommending cannabis products to pregnant women.’ Dr Metz said that pregnant women may be reluctant to speak to doctors about using cannabis. She said, ‘Women are hesitant to disclose any kind of drug use in pregnancy to their health care providers for fear of potential legal ramifications or involvement by social services.’
Credit: metro.co.uk
In 2015, the American Medical Association suggested that marijuana products should be labelled, ‘Marijuana use during pregnancy and breastfeeding poses potential harms.’ Relatively few human studies have been carried out into the effects of smoking cannabis during pregnancy – although rat studies have suggested the drug can cause brain damage. America’s National Institute On Drug Abuse says that more research is needed to separate marijuana use from other factors, but says, ‘Human studies have shown that some babies born to women who used marijuana during their pregnancies respond differently to visual stimuli, tremble more, and have a high-pitched cry, which could indicate problems with neurological development.’ In 2015, several unnamed mothers spoke to Vice.com about their choice to use weed during pregnancy.
One said, ‘ I had morning sickness and I know that it’s normal for women to lose weight from it, but I just really didn’t like the idea of my baby going without nutrients, so I did smoke to help with my appetite and to make sure I wasn’t throwing up everything I ate.’ Another said, ‘I was initially against the idea of it, mainly because of the stigma surrounding smoking while pregnant. However, after three weeks of keeping almost nothing down and craving a sandwich… I smoked for the first time. Just a couple hits. I sat back, ate half a sandwich, and it didn’t come back up! I think I napped after.
Credit: metro.co.uk
