Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Nov 2017
Cannabis and pregnancy: Maternal child health implications during a period of drug policy liberalization.
Cannabis use is common and increasing among women in the United States. State policies are changing with a movement towards decriminalization and legalization. We explore the implications of cannabis liberalization for maternal and child health. ⋯ Providers must recognize that even in environments where cannabis is legal, pregnant women may end up involved with Child Protective Services. In states where substance use is considered child abuse this may be especially catastrophic. Above all, care for pregnant women who use cannabis should be non-punitive and grounded in respect for patient autonomy.
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Science needs to drive our thinking as we navigate a new legislative environment in which many Americans have access to marijuana for therapeutic or recreational use. With the responsibility to fund, conduct, and make use of the research on marijuana, and understand the impacts of new policies, comes the obligation of not thinking in simplistic, black-and-white terms about this substance. ⋯ Marijuana use is also entangled with other substance use and should not be considered in isolation. Finally, policy options are not limited to the extremes of prohibition vs. full commercialization; a spectrum of intermediate options can and should be considered and evaluated as states create new policies around this drug.