I do not think that smoking marijuana or breathing in an environment where this substance is smoked is the most advisable during the pregnancy. However, there are those who believe that nothing happens. In fact, I was very surprised by this research. First, because of the investigated topic (it caught my attention that someone wanted to investigate something like this) and, secondly, because of the conclusions.
According to this study conducted at the University of Waterloo, Aukland University and Brown University, children exposed to marijuana in utero show significant improvement in their ability to follow moving objects by age four. However, the researchers caution that the results do not mean that marijuana has a beneficial effect on fetal development. Here are more details.
This finding greatly surprised the researchers. The results show that «marijuana and alcohol can have a great impact on a fundamental aspect of the visual process that occurs in our brain », the researchers explain. And they add: "But despite the apparently beneficial impact of marijuana on the development of the brain's visual system, other research shows that its use may actually affect the brain development of unborn children."
The researchers tested high-level visual processing in a group of 4-year-old children who were exposed to different combinations of marijuana, alcohol, amphetamines, or nicotine in utero, compared to a control group not exposed to these substances. Exposure to these substances was objectively confirmed by analyzing the meconium of each baby.
The results showed that exposure to marijuana improves the perception of global movement, a measure of visual processing of the brain that is responsible for movement processing and visual motor control. In contrast, exposure to alcohol had a negative effect. Nicotine and methamphetamine were not shown to have any effect on vision compared to the control group.
This is the first time that researchers have shown the effects of exposure to these substances on children's visual development. Their findings suggest that health professionals could counteract the negative effects of drug use in pregnancy. But they caution that this is a preliminary result of a much larger study.
The effects of marijuana on the fetus
As you can read in Effect of drugs on pregnancy, the components of marijuana, especially delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active agent, crosses the placenta and can directly affect the fetus. Marijuana use is related to gastroschisis. It has also been associated with increased tremors, exaggerated motor responses, decreased visual response, and some cases of mild withdrawal syndrome.
That the baby sees better does not justify being exposed to this:
