Effects of prenatal cannabis use on fetal and neonatal development and its association with neuropsychiatric disorders: A systematic review

Introduction

Cannabis is one of the commonly used substances among women of childbearing age. The majority of the evidence points to the negative birth outcomes of maternal use of cannabis with some exceptions. This study aims to review the published literature on the effect of prenatal cannabis use in fetal and neonatal development. It also aims to identify neuropsychiatric manifestations among children due to prenatal cannabis use.

Methodology

We performed a systematic review of studies in PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO using the keywords: ("Cannabis" or "Marijuana" or "THC" or "Tetrahydrocannabinol" or "Cannabis Sativa") AND Pregnancy. All the case reports, case-series, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, and Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) published in the English language were systematically reviewed.

Results

A total of 31 studies were included. The bulk of evidence supported significant adverse clinical outcomes among children with prenatal cannabis exposure. The major intrauterine effects included stillbirth and gestational hypertension. Pre-term birth, small for gestational age, low birth weight, and intensive care admission were early neonatal effects whereas lifetime conduct disorder, increased delinquency, depression, including neurobehavioral changes, substance abuse disorder during childhood, etc in offsprings were neuropsychiatric outcomes.

Conclusion

We recommend abstinence of cannabis in pregnant mothers in order to avoid any complication. Also, further studies from low and middle-income countries are warranted.