Lesson 9

Introduction

From the previous sections on opioids and alcohol during pregnancy, we know many young women struggling with substance use in pregnancy are polysubstance users. This becomes especially apparent when we look at marijuana use in young women during pregnancy.

Marijuana is a mixture of dried parts from the marijuana plant. It has chemicals in it that impact your brain and can change your mood and perceptions. People use marijuana in different ways like smoking or vaping it, or mixing it in food. Marijuana is also called many different names like weed, cannabis, grass, pot, and bud. No matter how someone uses marijuana, or what it is called, it can negatively impact a pregnancy.
 
Let’s spend some time thinking about what we know about marijuana and pregnancy. There is a lot on social media and in the popular press about this drug, and our culture’s ever changing perceptions of the potential harms of marijuana.

National Survey of Drug Use and Health

The federal government does a large survey called the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, or NSDUH. The latest NSDUH data below shows a breakdown of the drugs used by women in the United States. As you can see from the graph, use of marijuana was significantly higher than the use of all other drugs in 2019. (1)
 
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, most people who use marijuana start between the ages of 15 and 18. Among the 10.2 million women ages 12 and older who use marijuana, 7.5 million are between the ages of 18 and 25. We also know, women are at highest risk for developing substance use disorders during their reproductive years (18-44), especially between the ages of 18-29. (1)

Drug Use Among Women In the Past Year 2019 (1)