Assessment 2: Marijuana and Infant Development
Name
Capella University
PSYC-FPX3210: Human Lifespan Development
Instructor Name
July, 2024
Marijuana Use
At present, Marijuana is legal for medical use, and in some states of the United States of America, legalized for recreational use has increased the intake rates (Znoj et al., 2021). According to the data of today, approximately 4/10 of the population of the United States of America have ever used marijuana, and approximately 1/5 use it often (Luke et al., 2022). Considering the trends in the use of marijuana, it is important to establish the impact of marijuana on infants during the pregnancy period as well as after their birth. Moore (2024) also equally categorically discourages the use of marijuana during pregnancy as well as around the newborn.
As marijuana gradually finds its way into daily use, it is important to come out with the effects of the substance on the developing infant’s brain. Research conducted by Barbosa et al. (2020) supported minimizing marijuana use for pregnant women or eliminating its use, especially around pregnant women and environments where children under the age of two years are found. This view was reached after the accrual of knowledge on the dangers that would come with coming across babies who had been exposed to marijuana while they were still in the mother’s womb and those who were exposed to it immediately after they were born. In this regard, one can note examples of how marijuana influences babies even while still in their mother’s wombs and after being born.
Prevalence
Pregnant women and cannabis consumption have exhibited remarkable trends and diversions in the past. As observed by Agolli et al. (2022), approximately 8 % of the pregnant women who were surveyed in the U.S. said that they had used marijuana in the previous month. These are the rates of usage that have increased from 2017 up to 2020, mainly among the younger generation. For instance, 22% percent of pregnant women below the age of eighteen years and nineteen percent of those aged eighteen to twenty-four years tested positive for marijuana use (Moore, 2024).
Moreover, a study by Barbosa et al. (2020) among pregnant people found that pregnant individuals who have vomiting and nausea tendencies were at least four-fold more likely to use marijuana. Other studies suggested that pregnant people who tested positive for marijuana use were twice the rates of those who had vomiting tendencies. In general, causes for such use are mainly stress, anxiety, and pregnancy symptoms such as irritation in the morning. Healthcare professionals discourage smoking weed during pregnancy because its effects may cause significant harm to the fetus and neonate. These recommendations focus on the need to conduct more awareness and educational programs on the possible consequences of prenatal cannabis exposure.
Impact of Marijuana on Infant Development
There have been apprehensions about the effects of this substance on infants’ development. Detailed analysis by Paul et al. (2021) revealed that patients who used cannabis had a high prevalence of encephalopathy in children who needed admission to the emergency department. All it stressed were the manifestations that may appear, ranging from moderate personality changes and memory deficits to severe ones, including coma and death in these instances. Wicken et al. (2022) provide information on the vices that are possible to be inflicted on the brain at this stage since the organ is exposed to marijuana.
The extent to which it has been established that marijuana usage by pregnant women might be even more dangerous can be explained. A study by Marchand et al. (2022) also pointed to the same findings of 50 percent of the babies having a comparatively lower birth weight than the mothers who consumed marijuana during their pregnancy. Lower birth weight, especially implying future health concerns, may lead to yield or susceptibility concerning health concerns (Kiel et al., 2022). In addition, presented studies indicate that the existence of some effects of marijuana may lead to cognitive and behavioral alterations that may continue to a certain extent in infancy and adolescence. Research conducted by Coret and Rowan (2022) also revealed that attention deficits, behavioral problems, learning disorders, and early cannabis consumption were related. The above analyses also once more establish the necessity of a public health campaign, which will inform pregnant women and parents about the possible consequences of marijuana on their children. This call to action does entail protective strategies and the accumulation of policies that could potentially decrease these repercussions to offer improved developmental results for infants and toddlers (Kiel et al., 2022).
Research Methods
Research on marijuana is limited, especially because the United States government classifies it as a Schedule I substance (Znoj et al., 2021). This classification has made it very difficult to compile good research due to problems of access to materials. However, systematic research has only been initiated in recent years with improving legal restrictions in this segment and gradual legalization of the activity. Where techniques employed in most of these studies are the use of animals, probably rats, to analyze the seemingly prospective outcomes of marijuana. Adult female rats, pregnant and their infants sourced from famous research institutions, including Washington State University, are used where people’s human cannabis vapor is administered to highlight developmental effects (Swenson, 2023).
Several inconveniences are occasionally associated with this technique; one is the uncertainty regarding how the substance influences the human and rats’ lives. Animal studies have been very helpful. For instance, experiments involving the use of tobacco and alcohol on rats have revealed outcomes that suit humans. A study by Olyaei et al. (2022) again employed these animal models to evaluate the long-term effects of gestation and early-life marijuana use by pregnant ladies. The next concern for research outcomes is justified because more human studies are created from the results, and there is information on the impact of marijuana use on a given population. Additional information can be received on the peculiar manner in which marijuana may affect human development in the future, as the knowledge about it was previously limited due to the lack of research concerning marijuana.
Impact on Research
The findings impact the advice that doctors give to pregnant women and newborn baby caretakers and, in extension, have aided the discovery of the cause of gestational hypertension. A study by Kiel et al. (2022) explained that marijuana screening has been accepted as a normative practice of prenatal care, and firms such as Kaiser Permanente with that practice could benefit. It would also enable medical practitioners and specialists in the care of pregnant mothers to probably advise and maybe prevent some of the undesirable outcomes of the use of marijuana while pregnant. Therefore, the image of the effects of the drug marijuana on fetal and infancy development has also become clearer and more experimental.
As with any knowledge concerning substance use during pregnancy and with babies, this extends in a developmental way, similar to what people knew regarding the use of tobacco, alcohol, and so on in the past (Wicken et al., 2022). The shifts of focus, as postulated, are useful in minimizing adverse effects related to marijuana exposure during the four mentioned developmental stages. It seems that there are more cries to improve the research capacity of marijuana and the consequent reefer madness. With pressure on governmental and regulatory bodies regarding marijuana use, the level of hope rises to have restrictions eased to enhance research to get improved compliance and regulation or laws on marijuana use (Coret & Rowan, 2022). These incidents indicate that more hours should be spent searching and revising policies so that no one in such categories can be harmed.
Intervention
The probability of using marijuana during pregnancy reduces significantly when prenatal care begins early enough and adequate time is provided for the accomplishment of prenatal education and counseling (Paul et al., 2021). The other important intervention is the appropriate treatment of substance use psychedelic disorder because individuals with substance use problems do not observe the right precautionary measures that would prevent them from exposing their infants to Marijuana (Agolli et al., 2022). By such interventions of awareness, the dangers posed in infants by cannabis, the shifting of the norms, and the enhancement of the knowledge of the public have been attained (Luke et al., 2022). The objectives of both the governmental and non-governmental organizations promote the importance of receiving comprehensive healthcare services as well as the organization of health education regarding the non-use of marijuana during periods of vulnerable self-development.
Conclusion
Most people are using and buying marijuana legally or otherwise, which means that there needs to be a better understanding of the impacts, specifically on fetal and early childhood development (Wicken et al., 2022). The overview of the most recent scientific findings reveals a certain level of threat, including neurological damage and low birth weights in babies, thus the importance of preventive actions and knowledge. There must be proper prenatal care and counseling for substance use during pregnancy, as it works for the reduction of marijuana among pregnant individuals, and also, social marketing campaigns for changing the attitude of society. Further development in the field, as well as ongoing changes in policies, could prove vital in the prevention of loss of hope among vulnerable groups and in the eradication of inequality in generations to come.
References
Agolli, A., Agolli, O., Chowdhury, S., Shet, V., Benitez, C., Bheemisetty, N., & Waleed, S. (2022). Increased cannabis use in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discoveries, 10(2), e148. https://doi.org/10.15190/d.2022.7
Barbosa, C., Burduli, E., Smith, L., Brooks, O., Orr, M., & Gartstein, M. (2020). Daily cannabis use during pregnancy and postpartum in a state with legalized recreational cannabis. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 14(6), 467–474. https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000000625
Coret, A., & Rowan, A. (2022). Unintentional cannabis exposures in children pre- and post-legalization: A retrospective review from a Canadian pediatric hospital. Pediatrics & Child Health, 27(5), 265–271. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxab090
Kiel, L., Hsu, C., Wartko, P. D., Albertson, L., Ewing, J., & Lapham, G. T. (2022). Perspectives from women who engaged in prenatal and postpartum cannabis use in a U.S. State with legal non-medical use. Preventive Medicine Reports, 31, 102075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102075
Luke, S., Hobbs, J., Smith, M., Riddell, C., Murphy, P., Agborsangaya, C., Cantin, C., Fahey, J., Der, K., Pederson, A., & Nelson, C. (2022). Cannabis use in pregnancy and maternal and infant outcomes: A Canadian cross-jurisdictional population-based cohort study. PloS One, 17(11), e0276824. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276824
Marchand, G., Masoud, A. T., Govindan, M., Ware, K., King, A., Ruther, S., Brazil, G., Ulibarri, H., Parise, J., Arroyo, A., Coriell, C., Goetz, S., Karrys, A., & Sainz, K. (2022). Birth outcomes of neonates exposed to marijuana in utero: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 5(1), e2145653. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.45653
Moore, B. F. (2024). Prenatal exposure to cannabis: Effects on childhood obesity and cardiometabolic health. Current Obesity Reports, 13(1), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-023-00544-x
Olyaei, F., Campbell, R., Roberts, J., & Lo, O. (2022). Animal models evaluating the impact of prenatal exposure to tobacco and marijuana. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 65(2), 334–346. https://doi.org/10.1097/GRF.0000000000000693
Paul, E., Hatoum, S., Fine, D., Johnson, C., Hansen, I., Karcher, R., Moreau, L., Bondy, E., Qu, Y., Carter, B., Rogers, E., Agrawal, A., Barch, M., & Bogdan, R. (2021). Associations between prenatal cannabis exposure and childhood outcomes: Results from the ABCD study. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(1), 64–76. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2902
Swenson, K. (2023). Cannabis for morning sickness: Areas for intervention to decrease cannabis consumption during pregnancy. Journal of Cannabis Research, 5(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-023-00184-x
Wicken, C., Walia, A., Solhjoo, S., & Mark, K. (2022). Prevalence of cannabis use disorder among pregnant people who test positive for cannabis at time of delivery. AJOG Global Reports, 2(4), 100095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xagr.2022.100095
Znoj, H., Genrich, G., Zeller, C., & Koroma, D. (2021). Cannabis use, attitudes, regulation, and health: Survey data from an urban population of users and non-users. Journal of Public Health Research, 11(2), 2575. https://doi.org/10.4081/jphr.2021.2575
