Can I smoke a small amount of cannabis/marijuana to relieve my anxiety and nausea if I am at week 3 of my pregnancy and what are the risks?

Question

Hello, I have just learned that I have been pregnant for 3 weeks and I want to learn more about cannabis use during pregnancy. I usually smoke it as needed to calm my nerves and I worry that my anxiety symptoms will get worse during pregnancy. Also, I read that cannabis can help relieve nausea during pregnancy. So, I would like to know if consuming only a small amount during pregnancy is dangerous and what are the related risks. I take no medication and I have no allergies

Thi Lan Thi Duong · Accepted Answer

Hello, in fact, with current data on cannabis, there is no known minimum amount that is safe for pregnancy. The safest approach is to not consume it at all. Like alcohol and tobacco, cannabis can cross the placenta and can affect the fetus. Health Canada has produced 2 documents, the Risks of Cannabis use and Cannabis Ressources , for patients regarding the use of cannabis before, during and after pregnancy that you can consult later for more details. Briefly, cannabis contains over 700 chemical compounds that can cause a newborn to have low birth weight and affect brain development, resulting in long-term decreased memory function, ability to pay attention and reasoning skills. Thus, it is strongly recommended not to consume cannabis in any form during pregnancy. In addition to harmful effects in the child, it may have short-term health effects in the mother as well, including low blood pressure (risk of fainting and injury), drowsiness, fatigue, and anxiety. Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that demonstrates the usefulness of cannabis for nausea. As it seems to me that its use during pregnancy brings more risks than benefits, I recommend consulting your doctor or pharmacist for your symptoms of anxiety and nausea, as there are other much safer options during pregnancy and all equally effective for these symptoms. My pleasure,  Lan Thi Duong, pharmacy student (supervised by Alexandre Chagnon, pharmacist)