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Cannabis use in pregnancy may raise children’s risk of ADHD and autism

A study of more than 220,000 people found that cannabis use during pregnancy was associated with their children having roughly twice the risk of ADHD, autism and intellectual disability

By Grace Wade

8 April 2024

Cannabis use during pregnancy can impact a child’s neurodevelopment

Shutterstock/Joshua Resnick

Cannabis use during pregnancy may increase a child’s risk of developing neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD.

Up to 5 per cent of people in the US report using cannabis while pregnant, making it one of the most widely used recreational drugs during pregnancy. Yet we know relatively little about how this might affect fetal development.

To investigate further, Abay Tadesse at Curtin University in Australia and his colleagues collected data on more than 220,000 pregnant…

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