Marijuana During Pregnancy Raises Child’s Psychosis Risk

Researchers in the United States (US) said children born to mothers who used marijuana during pregnancy might be at increased risk for psychosis. These are the findings of a new study published in the journal ‘JAMA Psychiatry’. Psychosis is an umbrella term, meaning that an individual has sensory experiences of things that do not exist and/or beliefs with no basis in reality. During a psychotic episode, an individual may experience hallucinations and/or delusions.

Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical or recreational purposes. The main psychoactive part of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol, one of 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids.

The researchers at Washington University in St. Louis analysed data from an on-going nationwide study of child health and brain development. They further explained that Endocannabinoids were part of the naturally occurring neurotransmitter network through which cannabis affects the brain, the researchers. Lead author of the study Jeremy Fine and an undergraduate student majoring in psychological and brain sciences said, “Our research shows that prenatal marijuana exposure after maternal knowledge of pregnancy is associated with a small increase in psychosis proneness during middle childhood or about age 10.” On his part, the study’s senior author, Ryan Bogdan who is Bogdan is an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences, pointed out that the “study raises the intriguing possibility there may be developmental windows during which cannabis exposure may be more likely to increase psychosis risk.”

According to Bogdan, “One possible explanation for the finding of increased psychosis risk for marijuana use following, but not before, knowledge of pregnancy is that the endocannabinoid receptor system may not be in place during the early weeks of pregnancy.”