No link seen between cannabis use in early pregnancy, developmental delays in children

While previous research has suggested a link between prenatal cannabis exposure and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a new study from the United States has found no link between maternal cannabis use in early pregnancy and childhood developmental delays.

Lyndsay Avalos and colleagues analyzed data on nearly 120,000 children born between January 2015 and December 2019 and followed up at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. Mothers were screened for prenatal cannabis use through self-reports and urine toxicology tests.

The researchers report, “Maternal prenatal cannabis use was documented for 6,778 pregnancies (5.6%). Daily maternal prenatal cannabis use was reported for 618 pregnancies (0.5%), weekly for 722 pregnancies (0.6%), and monthly or less for 1,617 pregnancies (1.3%). No association was observed between maternal prenatal cannabis use and child speech and language disorders, global developmental delays, or motor delays. No association was detected between the frequency of maternal prenatal cannabis use and child early developmental delays.”

The researchers conclude, “This study did not find evidence of an association between maternal cannabis use in early pregnancy and child developmental delays up to age 5.5 years.” An earlier meta-analysis, however (see ARRI Vol. 38, No. 1), concluded that cannabis use by mothers may increase the risk of ASD or attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder. In this study, Abay Woday Tadesse and colleagues analyzed data from 14 studies, 10 on ADHD and four on ASD, with a total of more than 200,000 participants. They reported, “In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we found that offspring exposed to prenatal cannabis use had an increased risk of ADHD symptoms and ASD compared with unexposed offspring.”

Citations

“Early maternal prenatal cannabis use and child developmental delays,” Lyndsay A. Avalos, Nina Oberman, Stacey E. Alexeeff, Lisa A. Croen, Meghan N. Davignon, Sara R. Adams, Deborah Ansley, Christina D. Chambers, Kristin Steuerle, and Kelly C. Young-Wolff, JAMA Network Open, October 18, 2024. Address: Lyndsay A. Avalos, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, 2000 Broadway, Pleasanton, CA 94612, [email protected].