In an attempt to self-medicate during and directly after pregnancy, more women are turning to marijuana, according to a study from Rutgers.
Qiana L. Brown conducted a survey at Rutgers University and published its findings in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal.
The trend upwards for pregnant smokers has already been noted in past studies, but this differs because it links the marijuana smoking to other mental health disorders.
In a past study, marijuana smoking rose 62% among pregnant women between 2002 and 2014.
This new study by Brown showed higher odds of marijuana smoking if the pregnant or post-pregnant woman suffered mental health disorders related to stress or anxiety.
This tracks with larger data about the relationship between mental health issues and marijuana smoking, but its link to pregnancy is troublesome, as this can be extremely dangerous for the newborn. At the end of the day, a marijuana habit is still a habit, and a hard one to kick for women becoming pregnant.
Read the original article at Mirage News.
