Can Smoking Marijuana During Pregnancy Lead To Premature Babies?

Many people today, the youth and adults alike, are into smoking marijuana. It has become more of a trend and it is getting more and more popular by the day.

The debate on whether marijuana is healthy or harmful has been ongoing since a long time and there are different view points regarding this issue.

Also Read: Why Smoking During Pregnancy Is Dangerous

While some people are urging the governments to legalise marijuana, the rest of them opine that marijuana must be banned because it poses potential health risks.

While this debate is still on, it does not really stop the people who smoke marijuana from enjoying it regularly.

Moreover, certain researches have noted that marijuana has certain medicinal properties that can help provide relief from many disorders. Marijuana is also known to make people less restless and more creative.

However, when a woman is pregnant, she is advised to stay away from a lot of things that may harm her health and also her baby's.

Also Read: Smoking And Drinking After Pregnancy

She is told not to consume alcohol, smoke cigarettes, avoid passive smoking and so on. But, many women think is it not harmful to smoke marijuana during pregnancy.

However, a recent research has concluded that smoking marijuana during pregnancy can lead to the birth of premature babies.

The Link Between Marijuana And Premature Birth

A university research study has opined that there is a direct link between smoking marijuana and the birth of pre-term infants.

The study also says that women who smoke marijuana regularly, especially during their 2nd trimester, are five times more at risk of delivering premature infants when compared to non-smokers.

Experts on this subject have expressed concern over the wide-spread legalisation of marijuana in some countries, as they are risky for pregnant women.

Also, the research study claims that 12% of the premature births can be prevented in a year, if the pregnant women avoids smoking marijuana.

Giving birth to premature infants can lead to a lot of health complications in them and hamper their lives.

Premature babies are at a greater risk of being affected by conditions like cerebral palsy, learning disorders, visual disorders, hearing problems, etc.

So, it is important for the pregnant women to heed to the advice of professionals and lead a healthy lifestyle by avoiding alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes.