A review examines the mechanisms by which combined prenatal alcohol and cannabis exposure may produce unique or amplified developmental effects on offspring.
OB/GYN providers, developmental neuroscientists, public health researchers, and pregnant individuals using substances.
1-7% of pregnanciesCombined alcohol and cannabis exposure during pregnancy ranges from 1-7% in Western countries
What the researchers found
Combined developmental exposure to alcohol and cannabis may produce effects through overlapping and distinct neurobiological mechanisms, with prevalence of co-use during pregnancy ranging from 1% to 7% across Western countries.
Why it matters
As cannabis use during pregnancy rises alongside continued alcohol use, understanding how these substances interact during fetal development is essential for risk assessment and clinical guidance.
The numbers in context
Between 1% and 7% of pregnancies in the US, Canada, and UK involve combined alcohol and cannabis exposure.
How the study worked
Narrative review synthesizing evidence on mechanisms and outcomes of combined prenatal alcohol and cannabis exposure.
Who was studied
Pregnant women using both alcohol and cannabis, and their developing offspring.
What this study cannot tell us
Review format relies on available studies which are largely observational; isolating effects of co-exposure from individual substance effects is methodologically challenging.
How to read the evidence
Narrative review synthesizing existing research; provides conceptual framework but limited by quality of underlying studies.
When this study was published
Recent review capturing current understanding of polysubstance prenatal exposure.
The bigger picture
This review highlights a gap in research since most prenatal substance exposure studies examine substances individually, while real-world use often involves multiple substances simultaneously.
Replication
Builds on established fetal alcohol spectrum disorder research while incorporating emerging cannabis exposure data.
Funding
Not specified
Conflicts of interest
Not specified
Questions still open
- Do alcohol and cannabis have synergistic effects on fetal brain development?
- At what developmental stages is co-exposure most harmful?
- Could cannabinoid interventions ever be protective against fetal alcohol effects?
Read the original research
Combined exposure to alcohol and cannabis during development: Mechanisms and outcomes.
Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.), 110, 1-13
Citation
Kovács, Martina V; Charchat-Fichman, Helenice; Landeira-Fernandez, J; Medina, Alexandre E; Krahe, Thomas E. (2023). Combined exposure to alcohol and cannabis during development: Mechanisms and outcomes.. Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.), 110, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2023.01.004