Heavy marijuana use during pregnancy linked to premature birth, early infant death

(NBC News, April 23) The babies of women who were heavy marijuana users during their pregnancies are more likely to be born premature or pass away within their first year of life than the babies of women who did not use marijuana, according to a report. 

The study analyzed data of almost 5 million women in California who gave birth between 2001 and 2012. 

“Because many states in the U.S. now have approved medical and/or recreational cannabis, we recommend regulatory approaches targeting pregnant women, such as developing guidelines for physicians to appropriately recommend medical cannabis and communicating potential risks of prenatal cannabis use,” the study’s lead author, Yuyan Shi, an associate professor of health policy and health economics at the University of California, San Diego said. Read more.