Why Simultaneous Use Of Marijuana & Alcohol During Pregnancy Is Risky, New Research Paper Explains

More pregnant women are using cannabis to relieve unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, pain and general morning sickness. According to research published last year in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, pregnant women were roughly 4.6 times more likely to use cannabis in legalized areas than where only CBD is permitted.

Even though cannabis has become more accepted and its legal use widespread, moms-to-be need more education on safe cannabis use during pregnancy. After all, for alcohol, which is federally legal, it's strongly recommended that pregnant women refrain from imbibing it.

Previously, researchers discovered a connection between cannabis use during pregnancy with autism, childhood psychosis, anxiety, aggression and hyperactivity in children.

Now, a research paper looked into the simultaneous consumption of cannabis and alcohol on fetal development, keeping in mind an increase in cannabis use in the general population.

The Findings

Based on findings, SAC use leads to altered fetal brain development, according to a recent review published in Experimental Neurology.

The researchers emphasized that SAC use increases each drug's effect on the body as well as the craving for both substances.

In one of the studies conducted on mice and rats, dual-drug exposure reduced gestational food consumption and weight gain by offspring, especially dams.

"In mice, SAC resulted in 100% reabsorption of pups, with no litters producing live pups following the cesarean section of dams," the study showed. "In rats, the reabsorption rate was ∼75%, although it should be noted that the window of drug exposure in these latter experiments was shorter than those in mice."

Cannabis use during pregnancy has also been associated with lower birth weight in humans, mainly if the parent has used contaminated products.

Moreover, some SAC children exhibited elevated lowered hippocampal neurogenesis - the process by which new neurons are formed in the brain – as well as increased impairment in long-term memory and altered hippocampal structure and function, according to the research paper.

However, the researchers said that more research is needed, focusing on patterns of SAC consumption, including the timing and method of administration as well as drug concentrations.

To that end, FDA recently signaled it intends to look into whether CBD can be safely consumed on a daily basis or during pregnancy, the head of the FDA's cannabis strategy office Patrick Cournoyer told the WSJ.

Photo: Courtesy of Peter Pike by Pixabay and Dhemer Gonçalves by Pexels