New Studies Reveal Maternal Cannabis Use Not Linked To Autism Or Developmental Delays
Two federally funded studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) provide critical insights into the effects of prenatal cannabis use on child development.
Led by Lyndsay A. Avalos, PhD, MPH, the studies conclude that early maternal cannabis use is not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or early developmental delays in children, first reported Marijuana Moment.
Cannabis And Autism: No Significant Link Found
The first study examined over 178,000 pregnancies to assess whether maternal cannabis use during early pregnancy was linked to a heightened risk of autism in children. After adjusting for confounding factors, which are extraneous variables not appropriately controlled in a study such as sociodemographic characteristics and other substance use, researchers found no significant association between …