Let’s study health risks of pot

Now that marijuana is hitting retail stores in Massachusetts, we need to know exactly what it is that we are putting into our bodies, and the bodies of our children.

A new study involving 50 nursing mothers who were actively smoking pot showed that THC, the chemical that provides the “high,” was found in their breast milk. The fear is that after ingesting a mother’s milk, a baby’s brain development could be affected negatively.

As the Herald’s Jessica Heslam reported, one of Massachusetts’ top pro-pot voices says the study’s findings should be heeded.

“This study echoes previous studies that show that cannabis or any other psychoactive substance can transfer to breast milk and using those substances should be avoided by mothers while they’re breastfeeding,” said Jim Borghesani, who helped lead the Bay State’s legalization campaign and now works as a consultant for the cannabis industry.

A new American Academy of Pediatrics report recommends against using pot during pregnancy or while nursing but maintains that the overall benefits of breastfeeding are well established. “We still support women breastfeeding even if using marijuana but would encourage them to cut down and quit,” said Dr. Seth Ammerman, who co-authored the report.

For decades there have been conflicting reports and conclusions on the subject, but there is bound to be a tsunami of data coming in as states make marijuana legal and accessible.

Because of federal restrictions on marijuana, there has not been the widespread testing that was done for years on tobacco, so we are just learning of the health risks and benefits.

We must press health officials to thoroughly study the subject without agenda and implore elected officials to do the same. As is the way of the political world, opportunities to demagogue the issue will be plentiful, but we must insist on a measured approach.