* UW Study Harming Babies: (Take Action/Contact info below.) Canadian Pamela McColl, fresh off of testifying at the FDA against smoking pot, has gone to war against a University of Washington study, reported by Fox News Channel, on pot-smoking pregnant mothers to see its effect on the baby's brain. Also, there's a related DU study "Cannabis use during pregnancy, maternal brain..." for which the NIDA has allocated between $234,000 and $422,000. See also rsr.org/pot and McColl's book, On Marijuana.
* Excerpts: From three articles in today's JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association; Jan. 18, 2019; click on JAMA's "Related Articles" link). By the way, Dr. Volkow, below, is the head of NIDA, the organizaton that, sadly and ironically, funded the University of Washington study:
"These 2 studies send a straightforward message: cannabis use in pregnancy is likely unsafe; with an increasing prevalence of use (presumably related to growing social acceptability and legalization in many states), its potential for harm may represent a public health problem. This message is based on the sound, if imperfect, epidemiology of these 2 studies and is heightened by misperception that marijuana is safe, as evidenced by its direct marketing to pregnant women for morning sickness despite accumulating evidence of harm." Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH; Elizabeth A. Howell, MD, MPH; Barry Zuckerman, MD
"Cannabis effects on fetal growth (eg, low birth weight and length) may be more pronounced in women who consume marijuana frequently, especially in the first and second trimesters.4 This study highlights the importance of screening and interventions for cannabis use among all pregnant women." Nora D. Volkow, MD Beth Han, MD, PhD, MPH Wilson M. Compton, MD, MPE Elinore F. McCance-Katz, MD, PhD
"Among pregnant women in Ontario, Canada, reported cannabis use was significantly associated with an increased risk of preterm birth." Daniel Corsi, PhD1,2,3 et al.
* Contact Info: Pamela McColl's twitter handle is twas4kids if you would like to contact her or post. To express your concern about the University of Washington study of pregnant women using marijuana, you may contact:
Jason M. Malone, MPA, CIP
Assistant Director, Regulatory Affairs
Human Subjects Division
University of Washington
jmmalone@uw.edu
Department of Child Youth and Family Services
Washington State Director DCYF agency
ross.hunter@dcyf.wa.gov
Funding source:
NIDA National Institute of Drug Abusei
Director Nora D. Volkow nvolkow@nida.nih.gov