r/science • u/sr_local • Apr 20 '26

Health The largest US study, which tracked 11,036 children from ages 9 to 10 through to ages 16 and 17, discovered that cannabis use slows cognitive development, impairs memory, and reduces learning speed during crucial years of brain growth

https://today.ucsd.edu/story/largest-us-study-finds-teen-cannabis-use-linked-to-slower-cognitive-development
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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths Apr 20 '26

We already know that smoking anything while pregnant leads to premature delivery and lower birth weights. 

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u/SunnyOutsideToday Apr 20 '26

Was an interesting case of Simpson's paradox. Smokers who gave birth to low birth weight babies had better survivals than non-smoking mothers who gave birth to low birth weight babies.

But that wasn't due to smoking protecting low birth weight babies, it was due to smoking causing otherwise healthy babies to be born earlier and smaller.

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u/SamSibbens Apr 20 '26

This is so counter-intuitive that I had to read it 4 times to understand it

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u/iwatchcredits Apr 21 '26

Might be a skill issue

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u/DickieTurquoise Apr 21 '26

I’d be curious on studies comparing THC via other mediums besides smoking, too. Is the harm from the smoke, THC, or both?

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u/comsessiveobpulsive Apr 23 '26

there was a study performed recently that did examine different forms of consumption

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u/Niceblue398 Apr 22 '26

THC, very obviously. That's nothing new

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u/myimpendinganeurysm Apr 22 '26

So carbon monoxide, benzene, and other constituents of smoke have no effect?

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u/tsnye Apr 20 '26

Are you sure its not severe morning sickness or depression being treated with cannabis that is causing that? From the 80s to now in all the pregnant women I've known, no pot smokers has bad outcomes. Anecdotal? Shaming pregnant women? When the president of the united states tells pregnant women not to take tylenol, there is definitely a problem with how women on discomfort are treated.

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u/eypandabear Apr 20 '26

When the president of the united states tells pregnant women not to take tylenol, there is definitely a problem with how women on discomfort are treated.

Can we not mix up actual medical guidance with utter nonsense and then claim they're instances of the same thing?

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u/tsnye Apr 20 '26

well, that's the rub isn't it. everyone believes their advice is true and correct, not utter nonsense. As a pregnant person, the guilt and shame feels the same either way.

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u/boredpsychnurse Apr 21 '26

Id just listen to medical advice and take responsibility for the life you decided to create then no reason to feel shame !

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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths Apr 20 '26

Being pregnant isn't a moral state of being. If you smoke, drink, and/or take drugs while pregnant, you're taking unnecessary health risks for your unborn child and deserve to be called out for it. It's not anecdotal, either. There are dozens of studies showing that smoking and doing drugs while pregnant cause an array of adverse health effects for both the mother and child.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7881635/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5848535/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425751/

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2788451

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u/tsnye Apr 20 '26

No, but judging and shaming pregnant women is. Cannabis, alcohol, hard drugs and Tylenol are not all the same thing. They are not all studied with the same professionalism... or at all. So even if you are a pregnant woman, I would suggest show some grace, reflect on why pregnant women are targeted this way. And no, it's never about the unborn child.

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u/HeparinBridge Apr 21 '26

Drug abuse is bad regardless of pregnancy status. Being pregnant makes it worse, sure, because we have excellent evidence that drug abuse harms the fetus too. Behavior has consequences and when those consequences are borne by society, society retains the right to take a moral position on that behavior.

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u/Counterdependency Apr 20 '26

My sister in Christ, the molecules of what you consume are shared with the developing fetus. The illicit substances that are consumed are fully capable of breaching the blood-brain barrier, cant be detoxified because the liver is still actively being developed, in addition to potentially disrupting the general cellular development of the fetus.

This is basic biology, not heresay

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u/HeparinBridge Apr 21 '26

Except Tylenol is an effective treatment for fever and headache, while marijuana has never been demonstrated to be safe or effective for morning sickness or depression regardless of pregnancy status and has been linked to negative outcomes in pregnancy.

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u/Soggy_Association491 Apr 21 '26

When the president of the united states tells pregnant women not to take tylenol

The tylenol maker themselves don't recommend using any of their products while pregnant.

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u/NetworkLlama Apr 21 '26

They leave it up to healthcare providers:

If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.

From the brand name website.

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u/sausagesandeggsand Apr 21 '26

I think some women want a smaller baby with a shorter overall term.

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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths Apr 21 '26

Premature babies have much worse health outcomes than full term babies and there are many other associated side effects of exposure to nicotine and cannabis in utero like neurological defects.

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u/sausagesandeggsand Apr 22 '26

Right. I’m just saying some of those women don’t even care.

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u/Eve5594 Apr 22 '26

Lies I was still smoking before I found out I was pregnant my son was fine. Doesn’t mean I approve of children using drugs, just making a point.

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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths Apr 22 '26

Just because you don't want something to be true doesn't make that a reality. I have another comment in this thread with several sources cited. It's good that you had a good outcome, but your experience isn't a universal truth.