Children exposed to cannabis before birth showed higher psychosis proneness in the ABCD study

Maternal cannabis use during pregnancy, particularly after the mother knew she was pregnant, was associated with higher psychosis proneness scores in their children, based on data from the large-scale Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study.

Cohort analysis using data from the ongoing ABCD study, a landmark US longitudinal study tracking brain development in thousands of children. Compared psychosis proneness scores between children exposed and unexposed to prenatal cannabis.

The ABCD study is the largest long-term study of brain development in the US, making these findings particularly important. An association between prenatal cannabis exposure and psychosis proneness could have significant public health implications as cannabis use during pregnancy increases.

Cannabis use during pregnancy has been increasing alongside legalization. If prenatal exposure influences psychosis vulnerability, this represents a preventable risk factor. The ABCD study's long-term follow-up will eventually reveal whether childhood psychosis proneness translates to adult psychotic disorders.

Published as a brief research letter with limited methodological detail. Prenatal cannabis exposure was maternally reported, which may be subject to recall and social desirability bias. Association does not prove causation. Confounding factors like other substance use and socioeconomic factors may contribute.