Multiple roles for the endocannabinoid system during the earliest stages of life: pre- and postnatal development.

Authors: Ester Fride
Journal of Neuroendocrinology, May 2008

The endocannabinoid system, including its receptors (CB(1) and CB(2)), endogenous ligands (‘endocannabinoids’), synthesising and degrading enzymes, as well as transporter molecules, has been detected from the earliest stages of embryonic development and throughout pre- and pos…

Fatty acid amide hydrolase deficiency limits early pregnancy events.

Authors: Haibin Wang, Huirong Xie, Yong Guo, Hao Zhang, Toshifumi Takahashi, et al
Journal of Clinical Investigation, August 2006

Synchronized preimplantation embryo development and passage through the oviduct into the uterus are prerequisites for implantation, dysregulation of which often leads to pregnancy failure in women. Cannabinoid/endocannabinoid signaling via cannabinoid receptor CB1 is known to…

Survey of medicinal cannabis use among childbearing women: patterns of its use in pregnancy and retroactive self-assessment of its efficacy against ‘morning sickness’.

Authors: Rachel E. Westfall, Patricia A. Janssen, Philippe Lucas, Rielle Capler
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, February 2006

A majority of women experience some nausea and/or vomiting during pregnancy. This condition can range from mild nausea to extreme nausea and vomiting, with 1-2% of women suffering from the life-threatening condition hyperemesis gravidarum. Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) may be use…

The endocannabinoid-CB(1) receptor system in pre- and postnatal life.

Authors: Ester Fride
European Journal of Pharmacology, October 2004

Recent research suggests that the endogenous cannabinoids (“endocannabinoids”) and their cannabinoid receptors have a major influence during pre- and postnatal development. First, high levels of the endocannaboid anandamide and cannabinoid receptors are present in the preimpla…

Prenatal marijuana and alcohol exposure and academic achievement at age 10.

Authors: Lidush Goldschmidt, Gale A Richardson, Marie D Cornelius, Nancy L Day
Neurotoxicology and Teratology, July-August 2004

The effects of prenatal marijuana and alcohol exposure on school achievement at 10 years of age were examined. Women were interviewed about their substance use at the end of each trimester of pregnancy, at 8 and 18 months, and at 3, 6, 10, 14, and 16 years. The women were of l…

Cannabis, cannabinoids and reproduction.

Authors: Boram Park, John M. McPartland, Michelle Glass
Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, February 2004

In most countries Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug. Its use during pregnancy in developed nations is estimated to be approximately 10%. Recent evidence suggests that the endogenous cannabinoid system, now consisting of two receptors and multiple endocannabinoid li…

Maternal use of cannabis and pregnancy outcome.

Authors: David M. Fergusson, L. John Horwood, Kate Northstone, ALSPAC Study Team
BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, January 2002

OBJECTIVE: To document the prevalence of cannabis use in a large sample of British women studied during pregnancy, to determine the association between cannabis use and social and lifestyle factors and assess any independent effects on pregnancy outcome. DESIGN: Self-completed…

A literature review of the consequences of prenatal marihuana exposure.

Authors: P.A. Fried, A.M. Smith
Neurotoxicology and teratology, January-February 2001

In spite of marihuana being the most widely used illegal drug among women of reproductive age, there is a relative paucity of literature dealing with the neurobehavioral consequences in offspring–particularly the longer-term effects. However, there is a degree of consistency…

Behavioral outcomes in preschool and school-age children exposed prenatally to marijuana: a review and speculative interpretation.

Authors: Peter A. Fried
NIDA research monograph, 1996

INTRODUCTION: In considering the relationship between marijuana use during pregnancy and the impact of such use upon the behavioral outcome of the young children of these pregnancies, the paucity of objective information is striking and, from one point of view, quite surprisin…

The impact of cocaine and marijuana use on low birth weight and preterm birth: a multicenter study.

Authors: Patricia H. Shiono, Mark A. Klebanoff, Robert P. Nugent, Mary Frances Cotch, et al
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, January 1995

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate prospectively the effects of cocaine and marijuana use on pregnancy outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective multicenter cohort study was conducted at seven university-based prenatal clinics in the United States from 1984 to 1989. The cohort des…

Prenatal marijuana exposure and neonatal outcomes in Jamaica: an ethnographic study.

Authors: Melanie C. Dreher, Kevin Nugent, Rebekah Hudgins
Pediatrics, February 1994

OBJECTIVE: To identify neurobehavioral effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on neonates in rural Jamaica. DESIGN: Ethnographic field studies and standardized neuro-behavior assessments during the neonatal period. SETTING: Rural Jamaica in heavy-marijuana-using population. PA…

Five-year follow-up of rural Jamaican children whose mothers used marijuana during pregnancy.

Authors: Jill S. Hayes, R Lampart, Melanie C Dreher, Lisa Morgan
The West Indian medical journal, September 1991

This research provides data on the development of 59 Jamaican children, from birth to age 5 years, whose mothers used marijuana during pregnancy. Approximately one-half of the sample used marijuana during pregnancy and were matched with non-users according to age, parity, and…