In rats, cannabis during pregnancy rewires the brains of offspring

AS GOVERNMENTS around the world update their policies towards the legality of cannabis, that drug’s medical and recreational use is spreading. Many women therefore want to know whether it is safe to take the stuff during pregnancy, and face a dearth of evidence to guide them. The use of cannabis by pregnant women is on the rise. A study in a Californian health-care system suggests uptake increased from 2.4% of pregnant mothers in 2002 to 3.9% in 2014. Other work in Western countries has found rates of between 3% and 16%. Such use is by no means simply recreational. Medical cannabis is employed in many places to control nausea and vomiting, so pregnant women have turned to it to treat morning sickness.Some groups would like to promote the use of cannabis during pregnancy as safe and beneficial. CannaMommy, a website which supports a mother’s right to choose “plants over pills” during pregnancy, thinks mothers-to-be should be able to decide how they medicate themselves. A banner across one video on the site says, “Fact: Cannabis is safer than pharmaceuticals”.