Cannabis from ancient medicine to modern concern: the developing brain is most at risk
The endocannabinoid system plays a complex role in fetal, infant, and adolescent brain development, and exogenous cannabinoids can disrupt normal development through supra-physiological stimulation, with particular concern for prenatal exposure.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
The endocannabinoid system is critical for brain development across fetal, infant, and adolescent stages. Exogenous cannabinoids can cause supra-physiological stimulation that disrupts normal central nervous system development. Cannabis is common among pregnant women, and the long-term effects of in utero exposure are increasingly documented.
Key Numbers
Cannabis is the most frequently used recreational drug in Western societies. Use is common among pregnant women. The endocannabinoid system undergoes critical developmental changes throughout fetal, infant, and adolescent periods.
How They Did This
Review of historical cannabis use, the endocannabinoid system's role in brain development, evidence on in utero cannabis exposure effects, and implications of medicinal cannabis products during pregnancy.
Why This Research Matters
Published in a fetal and neonatal medicine journal, this targets the clinicians most likely to encounter pregnant cannabis users. As medicinal cannabis expands, more pregnant women may consider it for morning sickness or other symptoms without understanding developmental risks.
The Bigger Picture
The tension between cannabis as ancient medicine and modern health concern is sharpest during pregnancy. The same endocannabinoid system that cannabis-derived medicines target is also the system guiding normal brain development, creating a fundamental conflict.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Narrative review without systematic methodology. Much evidence on in utero effects comes from observational studies with confounding factors. Long-term developmental outcomes are difficult to attribute solely to cannabis exposure.
Questions This Raises
- ?Are there any safe windows for cannabis use during pregnancy?
- ?Do different cannabinoids (THC vs CBD) pose different developmental risks?
- ?Could low-dose CBD be safely used for pregnancy symptoms without disrupting fetal development?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Exogenous cannabinoids can cause supra-physiological stimulation disrupting fetal brain development
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate: review in a specialized medical journal synthesizing developmental neuroscience and clinical evidence.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2019.
- Original Title:
- Cannabis: An ancient friend or foe? What works and doesn't work.
- Published In:
- Seminars in fetal & neonatal medicine, 24(2), 149-154 (2019)
- Authors:
- Henschke, Philip
- Database ID:
- RTHC-02070
Evidence Hierarchy
Summarizes existing research on a topic.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Is cannabis safe during pregnancy?
This review warns against it. The endocannabinoid system guides fetal brain development, and external cannabinoids can disrupt this process through excessive stimulation. Long-term effects on child development are being increasingly documented.
What about CBD during pregnancy?
The review cautions about all exogenous cannabinoids during pregnancy, including medicinal cannabis products. The endocannabinoid system is involved in fetal brain development at levels that external cannabinoids could disrupt, regardless of whether they produce a high.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-02070APA
Henschke, Philip. (2019). Cannabis: An ancient friend or foe? What works and doesn't work.. Seminars in fetal & neonatal medicine, 24(2), 149-154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.siny.2019.02.001
MLA
Henschke, Philip. "Cannabis: An ancient friend or foe? What works and doesn't work.." Seminars in fetal & neonatal medicine, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.siny.2019.02.001
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Cannabis: An ancient friend or foe? What works and doesn't w..." RTHC-02070. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/henschke-2019-cannabis-an-ancient-friend
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.