A recent meta-analysis study of fourteen primary studies involving over 200,000 participants found maternal cannabis use is linked to increased attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) risk in their children. Specifically, the risk of ADHD symptoms and diagnostic ADHD was found to be elevated among offspring exposed to cannabis in utero compared to their non-exposed counterparts.

Moreover, the study also found a marginally significant increase in the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children whose mothers used cannabis during pregnancy.

The results remained significant even after controlling for factors such as alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy and maternal mental health issues.

The study brings into the question of the safety and risks of irresponsible cannabis legalization and role out without proper scientific review and letting self-interested influence such decisions, as clearly the addictive drug has consequences on in-utero fetal development that will impact the child’s life.

“In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we found that offspring exposed to prenatal cannabis use had an increased risk of ADHD symptoms and ASD compared with unexposed offspring. Adjustment for maternal mental health problems, maternal alcohol use, and tobacco smoking did not substantially alter the observed associations. The findings suggest the importance of implementing prevention and early interventions among offspring exposed to prenatal cannabis use,” wrote the authors.

The study was published in Journal of Psychiatric Research.

AW Tadesse et al. Prenatal cannabis use and the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder in offspring: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.01.045