
A recent study in JAMA Network Open analyzed how ‘budtenders’—people who work in marijuana stores—talked about the dangerous products they sell. The study picks up on the excellent work done by Denver Health in 2018, which found that 69% of dispensaries advised a researcher posing as a pregnant woman in her first trimester to use marijuana to treat morning sickness. This new study, based on California data, found that only 44% of workers recommended without any prompting that customers––who were mystery shoppers posing as pregnant women––speak with their doctor about marijuana use. Some 79% said that prenatal tobacco use is unsafe compared to only 40% who said that prenatal marijuana use is unsafe. It also found that less than 1% of workers said that prenatal tobacco use is safe compared to 20% who said that prenatal marijuana use is safe. Given that prenatal marijuana use can lead to stillbirth and a range of developmental problems for the baby, policymakers should invest in a public education campaign about the potential harms of marijuana for pregnant women and their babies. Obstetricians should preemptively warn patients about the harms of marijuana during pregnancy.