Cannabis use sending more pregnant Canadians to hospital, new study finds – CBC

Severe morning sickness the biggest risk factor, researcher says

May 23, 2023

Researchers behind a new study suggesting an increase in hospital visits by pregnant people related to cannabis use say they’re concerned about the potential risks, including premature births and low birth weights.

The research paper, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, tracked data from close to one million pregnancies in Ontario betwe

Of those, a small fraction — 540 pregnant people — visited an emergency room or were hospitalized for cannabis use, according to health administrative data compiled by the researchers. Most of those cases, 390, were emergency room visits.

But the rate of acute care hospital visits rose after cannabis was legalized for recreational use in October 2018, from 11 out of every 100,000 pregnancies to 20 per 100,000, the study says.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/cannabis-pregnancy-study-1.6851985