Marijuana Use Dangerous during Pregnancy

Attention to all prospective mothers out there who have been known (personally or by others) to enjoy a good toke once in a while: though the medical benefits of  marijuana are at times incontestable, as it is in treating glaucoma or mental medical disorders such as bulimia or anorexia, high potency and synthetic marijuana can be detrimental to the cognitive development of an unborn fetus.

According to a newly published article in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis, American researchers state the argument that ‘high potency’ marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids which pose a potential real threat for pregnant women.

The study’s co-author Dr. Delphine Psychoyos from the Center for Genetic and Environmental Medicine at Texas A&M University explains to Sciencenewsroom.com “The emergence of bioengineered crops and novel, medicinal marijuana strains, means that marijuana is no longer what it used to be in the 1970’s and early 1980s’: some new, high potency strains, including some medicinal marijuana blends such as ‘Connie Chung’ and many others, contain up to 20 times more THC, the psychoactive constituent of marijuana, than did ‘traditional’ marijuana from the 1970’s and early 1980’s “Furthermore, with the emergence of dispensaries and Internet websites, high potency marijuana and Spice products are now readily available to the general population.”

According to the study, recent research has shown that marijuana exposure during pregnancy has been associated with anencephaly, a non-sustaining life condition where a large part of the skull or brain is absent, neurobehavioral deficiencies, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities and memory impairment in toddlers and 10 year olds, as well as neuropsychiatric conditions, including depression, aggression and anxiety, in teens.

Like other recreational drugs, such as cigarettes and alcohol,  pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant should not indulge. Researchers say that due to marijuana advocacy groups, many mothers-to-be do not realize the long-term effects of the drug.

For those of us who do indulge in the drug, if you find that you have been forgetting with recent frequency what you were about to say, or cannot seem to remember at lunch what you had for breakfast, then maybe now is a good time to cut back on the bud.
Read more at http://www.counselheal.com/articles/2532/20120815/marijuana-use-dangerous-during-pregancy.htm#JbVdK2hDcgaHiAse.99