CannaMamas Defend Cannabis Use During Pregnancy

CannaMamas Defend Cannabis Use During Pregnancy

Marijuana Mamas Defend Pot Use During Pregnancy from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

In the process of reporting about the Denver Health study which revealed that most dispensaries recommend cannabis for pregnant women, who use it to combat morning sickness and other conditions, FOX31 stumbled on a group of women who firmly believe that cannabis was the only thing that helped them make it through their pregnancies.

The group, which call themselves “CannaMamas”, said that women are calling up dispensaries due to the stigma associated with pregnant women using cannabis, which has resulted in them being too afraid to talk to doctors. To get their point across, some CannaMamas have come forward to speak about their decisions to use cannabis.

“We do call it a movement,” says CannaMama Clinic founder Jeanna Houch. The company, and the group itself, is comprised of more than 5,000 women. “We help women who have chosen cannabis medicinally while pregnant and breastfeeding specifically.”

Three women from the group spoke to FOX31; all of whom have children, and used cannabis to help them with several pregnancies. They used it to help with morning sickness, appetite, and other side effects of pregnancy.

“I started having really bad complications due to my pregnancy that landed me in the hospital multiple times and I was told by an E.R. doctor to either figure it out or, most likely, I was going to lose another pregnancy,” Houch says.

Another CannaMama, Yolanda Edwards, added: “The cannabis would actually calm my stomach down enough to actually consume something and keep it down.”

To get more information, FOX31 spoke to fertility specialists from the Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center to see what they had to say about cannabis use during pregnancy.

“Animal studies and some human studies have shown that marijuana has adverse effects on neurological development,” said Dr. Althea O’Shaughnessy, a fertility specialist. “Kids who were born from mothers who consume marijuana have some developmental issues that point to the fact that the marijuana may have been implicated in causing these issues.”

The Kids Today

The CannaMamas who spoke to FOX31 have children whose ages range from 2 to 15 years old.

“My kids are great,” Lisa Hill says. “I’ve not seen one negative from the side effects, and it is something I did worry about.”

“My son is an honor student – he’s in honors band and math,” Houch says. “We do not find that commonality among CannaMamas that we have children with deficits. We don’t find that at all – the opposite, actually.”

“There haven’t been long-term studies on women who consume marijuana during pregnancy,” Dr. O’Shaugnessy said. She said that the consequences of cannabis use on pregnant women remain unknown. Given the limited data, she says that she wouldn’t recommend pregnant women cannabis.

However, the CannaMamas volunteered to participate in a study on the subject. They also say that the decision to smoke came with a lot of careful thought.

“Our movement is not to support just willy-nilly recreational cannabis consumption throughout pregnancy. It’s here to help women make a choice that they feel is safer than pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications,” says Houch.

They continue to stand by their decision even if others, including doctors, don’t agree.

“Cruel people often call us selfish and tell us we’re harming our children. They don’t even take the time to listen to our stories,” said Houch. “Cannabis is not crack. Cannabis is not heroin. Cannabis is not alcohol.”

“It’s about our children. It’s what’s best for them,” Edwards added.

“It’s family,” says Hill.

The CannaMamas plan to get legislators to hear them out, with the hopes that it would pave the way for improved patient-doctor relationships when it comes to cannabis use for pregnancy.

The feedback from CannaMamas is timely, given the shocking results of the Denver study which revealed that a majority of dispensary employees give advice to pregnant women about cannabis, without much knowledge. The most frustrating takeaway from the study was that pregnant women still don’t feel confident about talking to doctors about their cannabis use, which then has them calling up dispensaries instead to ask for information from budtenders – who themselves don’t have enough knowledge, training, or experience to advise pregnant women on cannabis use.

Marijuana Mamas Defend Pot Use During Pregnancy from CannabisNet on Vimeo.