Breast-feeding moms and marijuana use
More than two-thirds of Americans support the legalization of marijuana. It is being sold and consumed in different forms, particularly in states where it has been legalized. While it is being promoted in some circles as safe, there is mounting evidence that it leads to psychological and motor deficits in infants breast-fed by mothers that use marijuana.
Today, marijuana is considered one of the most abused drugs among breast-feeding mothers. What is known about the real number of women using marijuana during pregnancy or while breast-feeding is based on self-reporting surveys. In a recent report, approximately 36 percent of women report having used marijuana at some point during the pregnancy, and close to 18 percent of those surveyed report that have used marijuana while breast-feeding their baby.
Many believe that the actual number is probably higher. This is becoming a public health crisis.
Chemicals from marijuana, also known as can-
nabis, are readily secreted in breast milk. In a recent publication, Kerry Bertrand, and colleagues from the University of California, San Diego, measured concentrations of marijuana byproducts in several breast milk samples. They found that measurable quantity of marijuana can be found in breast milk up to six days after maternal use of marijuana.
There are long-term concerns with how active chemicals in marijuana can affect brain development. Although there is limited knowledge about the long-term effects of marijuana in these breast-fed children, all indications are that marijuana is not good for these babies during development.
There are not sufficient studies in humans to assess all the ills that marijuana can inflict on newborns.
For now, what we know includes the following: exposure to marijuana in utero leads to smaller babies, smaller length, and smaller head sizes compared with non-exposed fetuses. Some of the growth restriction was identical to those observed with tobacco exposure. Changes in behavior are also observed in babies exposed to marijuana in the womb or after birth with breast-feeding. These babies have more tremors and possibly lower mental scores. Older children might have lower scores on short-term memory and verbal functioning. Visual developmental milestones also seem to be delayed, and there are reported more depressive symptoms in children exposed to the drug by age 10.
The mechanism of how marijuana affects the brain during development is not clear. It appears that quantities of key genes that are critical for development of the nerves are altered. Similarly, marijuana creates a chemical imbalance that affects selected chemicals, hormones, signals and receptors in the brain. Some argue that the long-term effects of marijuana exposure in kids might be subtle.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive component of marijuana, is attracted to tissues that have a lot of fat. It accumulates in the brain in the first two years of life, at a time when the brain is rapidly developing and when breast-feeding takes place. It is therefore not surprising that marijuana use early in life might lead to early childhood behavior problems.
Mothers who use cannabis after delivering their baby will often breast-feed for a shorter period of time and act more detached emotionally from their babies, due to a so-called “higher maternal affective dysregulation.”
In short, these children go on developing more behavior problems that affect their ability to learn.
As marijuana is becoming a popular substance use among young mothers, particularly breast-feeding mothers, policymakers and health care workers need to underscore the potential dangers that marijuana presents to babies. Cannabis content regulation and cannabis product labeling of health risks are needed to curb this increasing trend of mothers using marijuana during pregnancy or with breast-feeding.