Smoking pot may hurt baby

[Guest Urbanhog]

Smoking pot may hurt baby

March 25 2003

By Stephen Cauchi

Science Reporter

 

Pregnant women who smoke marijuana could be exposing their unborn children to lasting mental defects.

 

Italian researchers found that by injecting pregnant rats with an artificial cannabis substance called WIN, the rats mimicked a low to moderate dose of marijuana received by a human smoker. The rats' offspring scored lower on learning tests than rats whose mothers had not been given the dose.

 

The substance also disrupted both the release of a neurotransmitter called glutamate, and electrical activity associated with learning.

 

The present study provided evidence that maternal exposure to WIN induced the impairment of memory retention capacities in the offspring, wrote the 10-member research team, from the Italian universities of Cagliari, Ferrara, Bari and Rome.

 

"Memory impairment in prenatally WIN-exposed rats... seems to be a persistent condition, present at both 40 and 80 days of age," the researchers said.

 

"These findings could provide an explanation of cognitive alterations observed in children born from women who use marijuana during pregnancy."

 

Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug among women of reproductive age.

 

Previous studies investigating the links between marijuana-smoking mothers and pregnancy time, foetal growth, and the behaviour of their children have produced conflicting results.

 

The research was published in an American journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

From: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2...8354542150.html

 

 

Don't children born to pot-smoking mothers suffer from "Fetal Marijuana Syndrome?''

 

If a fetal cannabis syndrome exists, cases are so rare that it cannot be demonstrated. Many mothers use marijuana during pregnancy -- it controls the nausea called `morning sickness' and many say it actually increases the appetite and reduces stress. This is especially important in less developed countries, where modern medical care is not as easily available, but even so, the benefits of responsible marijuana use may outweigh the risks even under modern medicine.

 

Studies conducted in Jamiaca have shown that mothers who smoke marijuana have healthier children, but this may be due to the extra income generated by marijuana dealing and other factors. It has been a common ploy in the War on Drugs to claim that marijuana, and especially cocaine, causes birth defects or behavior problems like alcohol does. This scares caring mothers into thinking drugs are `evil.' The claims are not based on valid scientific research -- many of them do not even consider the life-style or living conditions of the mothers before pointing at drugs with the blame.

 

Obviously, pregnant mothers should not smoke as much pot as they possibly can. If marijuana is abused, it may hurt the health of both mother and child. Delta-9-THC does cross the placenta and enter the fetus. Oddly, though, the marijuana metabolite, 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-THC does not, and the fetus does not break delta-9-THC down into 11-nor like the mother's body does, so unborn children are not exposed to 11-nor. The third trimester is the time when the child is most vulnerable. Parents should bear these facts in mind when they make decisions about using cannabis.

 

From: http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~verdant/Mar...ildren_bor.html

 

For Cannabis users planning to have babies, for more information click here

 

I think it's all about common sense, don't use any drugs during pregnancy

 

Urbanhog http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/contrib/sp/chefico.gif

[Cronic_la_jar_jar]

very intresting urbi

 

i dont belive pregenant mums should be smoking pot to begin with but hey .

[Aussie_Smoker]

I was 6 weeks pregnant with my first son before i found out ! I smoked like there was no tommorow before that. I felt so guilty,. naturally i quit straight away.. then spent 4 days after that as sick as a dog (withdrawals-yuck),..even rang the womens hospital and chatted to a midwife about the damage i may have already caused. i was told it takes around 8 weeks before the baby starts to absorb the nasty stuff through your blood stream, and as long as i cut back or stopped ASAP, things would be fine, although this did not make me feel any better, my partner was very supportive & he also quit

 

It was really hard to just stop overnight, and i must admit,. i did lapse 4 times (had one joint) My son was born fighting fit & healthy, he's 4yo now and seems to be quite normal.

Personally, i think its disgusting when expectant mothers still drink & smoke as normal. Several of my friends have done it, but they are not the ones to suffer down the track, their kids are.

As for me,..i couldnt wait to have a cone 6 months after he was born!

[charbono]

Italian researchers found that by injecting pregnant rats with an artificial cannabis substance called WIN, the rats mimicked a low to moderate dose of marijuana received by a human smoker. The rats' offspring scored lower on learning tests than rats whose mothers had not been given the dose.

 

The substance also disrupted both the release of a neurotransmitter called glutamate, and electrical activity associated with learning.

 

1) it's not cannabis, it's "WIN".

2) they're not humans, they're rats

 

They are using two different substances and two different control groups and attempting to correlate WIN on rats with THC on humans. um... sounds like bodgy science to me.

[Kash]

biological science should be able to make an artificial womb soon anyhow

 

 

 

regards

 

 

kash