Marijuana: ACOG Encourages Abstinence While Pregnant or Breast-Feeding

ACOG discourages use of marijuana during pregnancy or lactation, even for medicinal purposes.

Marijuana is the most common illicit substance used by pregnant women, with prevalence as high as 30% in some communities. With the advent of marijuana's legalization in several U.S. states, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has published its position on use of this agent during pregnancy and breast-feeding.

While ACOG's Committee on Obstetric Practice acknowledges the limitations of available data about marijuana's effects on the fetus during pregnancy and on the neonate during lactation, it advises discontinuation of maternal use, whether recreational or medicinal. Animal studies suggest alterations of fetal brain development. While human studies do not implicate marijuana as a cause of structural fetal abnorma…

Reviewing Author

Allison Bryant, MD, MPH

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (Board of Directors)

Allison Bryant, MD, MPH

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (Board of Directors)

Marijuana: ACOG Encourages Abstinence While Pregnant or Breast-Feeding

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Reviewing Author