ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Medical experts say there are concerns that more pregnant women are smoking marijuana and it could cause health problems for their babies.
WALB’s Jim Wallace speaks with East Albany Family Medical Center of Albany Area Primary Health Care Doctor Monique Adu about the increase in South Georgia.
Are you seeing that here in South Georgia?
“I’m definitely seeing an increase in moms that are partaking in marijuana usage, and definitely I do see more positive screens coming back on the meconium than what I had seen in previous years and it’s so nice to join you here on this program. Thank you for having me.”
Are you concerned about the health effects for both the mom and for the baby?
“I definitely am because you know marijuana is a psychoactive chemical and as far as we know, it does affect our cognition. It affects our ability to think clearly, it affects our ability to react, and if it is affecting a mom, it’s definitely going to be transferred onto that infant. And as I mentioned, we do have more positive meconium screens, which are the first tools that newborns have. If we suspect that there is THC use in the mom, the nursery will oftentimes go ahead and screen that first stool and the fact that it’s coming through in that first stool tells us that it definitely does impart its way into the baby’s system. So if it can do that, then the effects honestly are untold. We do have to do more research on it, but from what I can see there are…