Babies exposed to cannabis in utero have no more developmental delays or emergency hospital visits than babies in their first years of life when compared to non-exposed babies, according to a new study published in Academic Paediatrics.
The research, which tracked 7,240 babies born between 1 April 2014 and 30 April 2022, found cannabis-exposed infants showed decreased odds of developmental delays (DD) at two years, though this difference disappeared by three years. Emergency department (ED) visits and well-child care attendance showed no difference between the groups.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill used meconium screening – tests performed on babies’ first stools – to assess exposure to cannabis and other substances.
The study merged data from the Carolina Data Warehouse for Health, a secure repository used to secure clinical information at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with data from medical insurance claims made to the North Carolina Medicaid program.
The babies were placed into three categories: those who had been exposed to cannabis but no other substances, those exposed to other substances, and those who had not been exposed to any cannabis or other substances, labelled as ‘non-exposed’. Of the babies screened, 5,448 (75%) were enrolled in Medicaid, with 1,671 exposed to cannabis and 2,599 classified as non-exposed.
Researchers tracked emergency department visits, well-child care visits (WCC – a US system similar to post-natal midwife checks in the UK), and Medicaid claims for babies exposed to cannabis and compared them to the non-exposed group.
The study found no difference in total emergency department visits between cannabis-exposed and non-exposed infants. Apart from the decrease in odds of exposed babies having developmental delays after two years (this result was not present at three years), there were no differences in the data from exposed to non-exposed babies.
Past studies have shown that cannabis exposed babies have no more developmental delays or health problems than non-exposed babies. However, another, often referenced study, found in utero cannabis use to be linked to lower birth weight.
The authors called for more education on the effects of cannabis on infant developmental health.
“We did not observe differences in WCC attendance, and ED use over the first 2 years of life, or in developmental outcomes at 3 years. Children with in utero cannabis exposure were less likely to have DD during the first 2 years of life compared to unexposed children. It is also possible that CPS intervention promotes positive development. As cannabis use becomes increasingly common, it is crucial to educate families about risks related to birth outcomes and central nervous system development and to develop supportive and non-punitive prenatal substance use policies to reduce barriers to disclosure and create Plans of Safe Care that meet families’ needs without exacerbating screening and notification inequities.”
*Note – The policy guidelines for the institution where this research was carried out required the researchers to report to the Child Protection Services any mother whose baby showed exposure to cannabis in utero.