Infant Exposure To Cannabis, Opioids Is 10 Times Higher In This State Vs. National Rate

About one in eight children born in West Virginia (between 2020 and 2022) had in-utero exposure to cannabis, opioids, or stimulants (alcohol and tobacco), a new study shows.

Amna Umer, a pediatric research associate professor at West Virginia University Health Sciences, explained that the study's results were 10 times higher than the national rates.

"During the two years of this study, more than 4,000 newborns were exposed to substances in utero," she said.

See Also: President Biden Lays Out Plan To Alleviate Deadly Opioid And Fentanyl Crisis

What Does The Study Say?

• Of the 34,412 live births of "singleton" babies (excluding twins, triplets, or other multiples), 12.2% of newborns had in-utero exposure to drugs such as oxycodone, methamphetamine or marijuana.
• 64.2% of the infants exposed to in-utero substances were also exposed to maternal smoking.
• The most prevalent substance exposure was marijuana, with 7.9% of children exposed to it in the womb.
• Exposure to opioids occurred for 4.4% of the infants; 2.1% had been exposed to stimulants while in the uterus.

The risks? These substances can decrease placental blood flow, inhibit a fetus' neurotransmitters, and contribute to malnutrition. The study also showed "a 40% increased risk of preterm birth among infants exposed to stimulants alone and a 70% increase with concurrent stimulant and cannabis exposures."

Nevertheless, "our results suggest a complex interplay between sociodemographic factors and lifestyle circumstances (...) Substance use disorders can contribute to adverse neonatal outcomes, and so can many other factors we examined in the study, such as maternal age, race, being less educated (...) inadequate prenatal care, and, importantly, maternal smoking," Umer said.

How To Reduce Adverse Outcomes Of Prenatal Substance Use

"Early identification and intervention reduce adverse outcomes of prenatal substance use like preterm birth and low birth weight," said Umer. Stigma, shame, and fear of legal consequences deter women from seeking prenatal care, she explained.

"There is a critical need to address this crisis for the most vulnerable population in the state," Umer concluded.

To complete the study, which was published in the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers used data from Project WATCH, a state-mandated surveillance tool funded by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

Project WATCH tracks maternal and infant information on about 99% of all births in the state to identify at-risk infants. However, this tool doesn't track prenatal alcohol exposure, which "has a high prevalence in West Virginia's rural population," according to researchers.

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