We Need to Talk About...Pregnancy and Weed

Expectant parents are increasingly drawn to the drug, but the stigma-and the risksremain real.

- CHRISTEN A. JOHNSON

Ask anyone who's been through it: Pregnancy can be uncomfortable. For some, nearly unbearable. So it makes sense that throughout history, women have tried just about everything to minimize pain, from swallowing dry starch to treat vomiting in the medieval era to drinking straight vinegar and baking soda to curb heartburn in the '90s.

Now that we've arrived in the 2020s, more and more pregnant people are reaching for cannabis and its active ingredients, THC and CBD (see the sidebar at right to refresh your memory), for a little relief. Use during pregnancy has more than doubled in the past two decades, partially due to booming availability from the legalization that's swept the country and partially because cannamoms, as they call themselves, often consider cannabis versus doctor-prescribed pharmaceuticals to be the better, more natural medicine for relieving anxiety, depression, vomiting, chronic pain, and other symptoms. Of course, it's not without its own risks.

For starters, most doctors aren't exactly on board, citing potential health concerns, primarily for the fetus. There's also major social stigma (have you seen the way people look at a pregnant woman having the occasional glass of wine? Yeah, that times 10). Plus, in nearly half of states, testing positive for THC after giving birth may spark a visit from Child Protective Services that could lead to clinical surveillance, custody battles, or even criminal penalties, says Rachel Knox, MD, MBA, a physician, endocanna-binologist, and health equity consultant-negative outcomes that will be far worse for the Black, brown, low-income, and gender-nonconforming people already disproportionately impacted by weed criminalization.

This is murky new territory. But we're here to help you navigate.

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