Saagar Enjeti had a direct message for expecting parents during a conversation with Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana: treat marijuana use during pregnancy as seriously as drinking.

“Look at the data,” Enjeti said. “I beg you to look at the data on use of high-potency THC, or any THC product, while you are pregnant.”

The wellness pitch meets the data

The conversation started with the wellness movement and the “MAHA moms” moment. Stories still frame marijuana as a wellness habit for mothers, and parts of the marijuana industry have promoted the drug to pregnant women.

The research points the other way. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that marijuana use in pregnancy has been linked to preterm birth, low birth weight, NICU admissions, and later neurocognitive and behavioral problems. It also says there is “no medical indication” for using it during pregnancy or after birth.

Marijuana use during pregnancy now outpaces drinking

Almost everyone knows that alcohol and pregnancy don’t mix. Marijuana hasn’t gotten the same message across.

In 2024, more pregnant women used marijuana in the past month than drank alcohol: 102,000 compared with 95,000, according to federal survey data. Marijuana use among pregnant women rose 20 percent in a single year.

At the doctor’s office, cigarettes and alcohol usually come up during prenatal visits, but marijuana often doesn’t. ACOG now recommends universal screening for marijuana use before, during, and after pregnancy. Outside the doctor’s office, the message is weaker still: only 44 percent of California budtenders told shoppers posing as pregnant women, without prompting, to talk to a doctor.

Culture changed fast, and medicine hasn’t kept up. Enjeti’s plea is that parents look at the data in the meantime.

• More Pregnant Women Are Smoking Marijuana than Drinking Alcohol
• Key medical association takes a stand: No weed during pregnancy
• Friday Fact: Only 44% of California “budtenders” said without prompting that pregnant women should speak to a doctor about marijuana use