Pubdate: Wed, 04 Feb 2015
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Associated Press
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388

BILL WOULD TIGHTEN WARNINGS ABOUT MARIJUANA USE

DENVER (AP) - Marijuana use by pregnant or nursing women might seem 
like a no-brainer of a bad idea, but a proposal in Colorado to step 
up such warnings is raising concern because of limited or 
inconclusive research on the dangers.

Pot users in Colorado and Washington already receive warnings that 
the drug shouldn't be used by pregnant and nursing women. But a 
Colorado bill proposes going further by requiring pot shops to post 
signs saying that maternal marijuana use poses risks to unborn children.

"It's important to have notification that there is risk," said 
Republican state Rep. Jack Tate, sponsor of the bill.

The proposal is controversial. Some pregnant women use marijuana to 
ease nausea, and a marijuana industry group fears the warnings don't 
acknowledge limited research on pot use by mothers-to-be.

Tyler Henson, president of the Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, 
called the proposal "another attempt to discredit and ignore the 
popular public opinion of marijuana's medicinal use."

A Colorado health report issued this week notes that marijuana's 
psychoactive ingredient, THC, is passed to children through the 
placenta and breast milk. But the doctors who compiled the survey of 
existing research also noted that the health consequences of that THC 
exposure aren't fully understood.

The report's authors found:

"Mixed" evidence for pot's link to birth defects.

"Insufficient" evidence that marijuana use during pregnancy makes 
offspring more likely to use pot themselves as adolescents.

"Moderate" evidence that maternal use of marijuana during pregnancy 
is associated with attention problems, cognitive impairment or low IQ 
in offspring.

"Mixed" evidence that marijuana use during pregnancy is associated 
with low birth weight.

Still, the doctors concluded, "There is no known safe amount of 
marijuana use during pregnancy."

The report, released Monday, reflected national conclusions on 
marijuana's health risks.

An American Academy of Pediatrics report in 2013 listed marijuana 
among the most common drugs involved in prenatal exposure that may 
pose important health risks, including possible behavior and 
attention problems in childhood.

Colorado, one of four states that have legalized recreational use of 
pot, requires marijuana to carry labels.
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