Based on self-reported surveys conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, cannabis use in pregnant females has increased over the years. Despite the increasing trend, the relationship between cannabis use and fetal outcomes is not fully understood. This review paper evaluates the literature investigating the short-term and long-term fetal outcomes resulting from cannabis use during pregnancy. Additionally, the risk of chronic marijuana use leading to cannabis hyperemesis syndrome has been highlighted in this paper using conclusions compiled from several case studies. Several studies linked delayed mental growth and reduced cognitive function with prenatal cannabis use, but the literature was limited to lower- quality observational studies and could not establish causality. One systematic review investigated short-term outcomes of low birth rates and preterm deliveries, where marijuana use in conjunction with tobacco use was associated with more preterm deliveries. Another study found that six-year-old patients exposed to cannabis prenatally were more likely to score lower in different categories on the Stanford-Binet scale test, which measures intelligence. The exposure in the first, second, or third trimester was associated with lower composite or subcategory scores such as verbal reasoning or short-term memory. Despite these results, the studies evaluated had limitations. They could not establish a clear relationship between cannabis use and fetal outcomes, but the literature showed a similar pattern of health, social and economic inequities among the populations who self-reported cannabis and substance use and non-users. Current organization guidelines advise against the use of cannabis use during pregnancy due to mixed and limited literature. However, they emphasize the importance of the clinician in the public health efforts of education and resource-distribution in addressing these inequities.
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