Pregnant Women Used More Cannabis During COVID, Especially for Physical and Mental Symptoms | Research

The takeaway

Pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic were over twice as likely to use cannabis for vomiting, depression, pain, sleep, and appetite compared to pre-pandemic pregnant cannabis users.

obstetricians, maternal health researchers, pandemic preparedness planners

What the researchers found

During vs. before the pandemic, pregnant cannabis users were more likely to use for vomiting, depression, chronic illness, pain, sleep, and appetite (all RR>2.0, p<=0.020). They were more likely to use edibles (RR 1.72, p=0.023), less likely to smoke with tobacco (RR 0.69, p=0.009), and more likely to report physician-recommended use (RR 2.2, p=0.075). They were also more likely to have attempted to quit or reduce use (RR 1.14, p=0.047).

Why it matters

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted prenatal care and increased stress, and this study shows those disruptions shifted both why and how pregnant women used cannabis, with implications for future public health emergencies.

The numbers in context

136 participants who used cannabis during pregnancy. >2x more likely during pandemic to use for vomiting, depression, pain, sleep, appetite. Edible use: RR 1.72. Physician-recommended: RR 2.2. Attempted to quit/reduce: RR 1.14. Smoking with tobacco: RR 0.69.

How the study worked

Prospective cohort study recruiting first-trimester participants from 2018-2022 (N=136 who ever used cannabis during pregnancy). Surveys in first and second trimesters assessed cannabis use patterns, reasons, and perceptions. Pre-pandemic vs. during-pandemic groups compared.

What this study cannot tell us

Small sample (136). Self-reported cannabis use. Cannot determine if pandemic-era users had more symptoms or just different coping strategies. Selection bias from research participation. Pre/during pandemic groups may differ on unmeasured factors.

How to read the evidence

Small prospective sample comparing pre/during pandemic groups provides preliminary evidence on a time-specific phenomenon.

When this study was published

Data collected 2018-2022 spanning before and during the pandemic.

The bigger picture

The shift toward symptom-based and physician-adjacent cannabis use during the pandemic suggests that when conventional care becomes less accessible, cannabis fills the gap. With projected increases in pandemic frequency, these patterns may recur.

Questions still open

Did reduced prenatal care access drive the increase in cannabis use?
What happened to cannabis use patterns when pandemic restrictions eased?

Common questions

Did more pregnant women use cannabis during COVID?

This study found that those who used cannabis during pregnancy were using it for more symptom-related reasons during the pandemic, particularly for nausea, depression, and pain, and were more likely to use edible forms.

Were doctors telling pregnant women to use cannabis?

Physician-recommended cannabis use was more common during the pandemic (RR 2.2), though this did not reach statistical significance. The study cannot determine whether these were formal recommendations or informal discussions.

Read the original research

Changes in prenatal cannabis use and perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 16, 100348

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Sokol, Natasha A; Sharma, Eva; Joseph, Janet O; Johnson, Janet A J; Stroud, Laura R. (2025). Changes in prenatal cannabis use and perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.. Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 16, 100348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadr.2025.100348