Marijuana Use During Pregnancy and its Effect on the Infant

Cannabis use is on the rise around the world. This is due to the growing number of states and countries that are legalizing the recreational use of cannabis. An area of cannabis use that still is surrounded with question marks is during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to determine how using marijuana during pregnancy effects the infant. PubMed was utilized to gather systematic reviews, cohort, experimental, mixed-methods, and descriptive studies that related to the topic of interest and were completed no later than the year of 2014. The methods used throughout the studies were: multivariable logistic regression, obtaining meconium drug screens, self-reported data and questionnaires, maternal blood tests, and urine samples. The studies concluded that marijuana use in pregnancy causes low birth weight, small gestational age, increased rate of preterm birth, increased NICU admission, small head circumference, and a 5-minute Apgar score less than seven. There needs to be further research done on this topic to determine effects related to the level of use.