Interventions Addressing Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

Abstract

ObjectivesThe prevalence of cannabis use among pregnant women is increasing in the United States and places mothers and infants at risk of multiple adverse health outcomes. Given the uncertainty expressed by providers regarding how to approach cannabis use during pregnancy and the growing need for a systematic endeavor to curb use in this population, the aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review of interventions focused on reduction in cannabis use during pregnancy.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library to identify studies of interventions that target individuals that engaged in cannabis use during pregnancy. We included studies if they were randomized controlled trials, controlled studies, feasibility studies, pilot studies, as well as observational studies. The primary diagnostic outcome of interest is reduction in cannabis use.ResultsWe identified 9 studies for inclusion with sample sizes ranging from 15 to 658 pregnant people. Interventions involved brief counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), motivational enhancement therapy + cognitive behavioral therapy (MET-CBT), computer-delivered psychotherapy, and psychoeducation. The interventions that were effective primarily used MI, CBT, and/or MET. There was just 1 study that implemented a home intervention and one that explored computer-based psychotherapy.ConclusionsThe studies uncovered through this systematic review suggest that interventions involving CBT and/or MI demonstrate promise for decreasing cannabis use during pregnancy. There is a tremendous need for high-quality studies focused on this population, and the potential for remote and computer-based interventions should be explored more fully.

CBD enhances the cognitive score of adolescent rats prenatally exposed to THC and fine-tunes relevant effectors of hippocampal plasticity

“…This research adds significant behavioral and molecular evidence to the increasing reports of pTHC- induced detrimental effects on cognitive functions, and stresses the importance of a collective endeavor to curb gestational cannabis use ( Groff et al, 2023 ). Accordingly, the evaluation of a safe and effective strategy to rescue pTHC-induced impairment is a research priority.…”

“…Indeed, we do not aim at reviewing CBD pharmacological properties (for a complete review see Castillo-Arellano et al, 2023), although the investigation of the causal interpretation of the current results is in progress. This research adds significant behavioral and molecular evidence to the increasing reports of pTHC-induced detrimental effects on cognitive functions, and stresses the importance of a collective endeavor to curb gestational cannabis use (Groff et al, 2023). Accordingly, the evaluation of a safe and effective strategy to rescue pTHC-induced impairment is a research priority.…”

Use and co-use of tobacco and cannabis before, during, and after pregnancy: A longitudinal analysis of waves 1–5 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study.

“…There is also a need for tailored cessation interventions for tobacco and cannabis co-use throughout pregnancy and postpartum. Although behavioral and pharmacological tobacco cessation interventions during pregnancy are well established, and initial work has begun to develop cannabis cessation interventions in pregnancy (Groff et al, 2023), high rates of relapse and continued substance use in postpartum highlight the need for additional work in this area. A tailored pregnancy intervention for individuals who co-use tobacco and cannabis could include psychoeducation regarding negative health effects of cannabis and tobacco during pregnancy and postpartum.…”