The American Medical Association (AMA) has made a consensus on Monday to impose a new rule on both medical and recreational use of marijuana. The agency will be requiring safety hazard labels on marijuana-containing products wherever they are displayed. This decision follows after a study revealed that use of aka pots has been linked to premature birth, low birth weight and behavioral problems in small children.
The written warning will state as follows:
Warning: Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding poses potential harms.
Although some argued that grounds to this coming regulation are not firm, advocates agreed that there is nothing wrong erring on the side of caution. But they admitted that further research should be conducted.
A number of studies have revealed the causal relationship between marijuana use during pregnancy and low problem-solving scores and attention problems. The most potent component found in marijuana is the THC, and during breastfeeding time, this has been found in women's milk. According to the AMA's latest regulation, this together with other data suggests that the drugs can have an impact both on the quality and quantity of the breast milk.
Dr. Diana Ramos, a medical consultant from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, implied that even alcohol and tobacco products have warning labels written "so why not do the same thing with marijuana since it is the most commonly used illicit drug during pregnancy," she explained.
"While some women use the drug during or after pregnancy to ease nausea, chronic pain or depression, there are alternatives without the potential risks," said associate OB-GYN professor at the University of Pittsburgh Dr. Judy Chang.
There are currently 23 states that permit the use of marijuana for medical purposes and Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington are the only states that legalized recreational use of the drug. However, AMA takes note in the background information of its proposal that Oregon "is the only state that currently requires a point of sale warning at dispensaries regarding cannabis use in pregnant or breast-feeding women."
