Does Prenatal Cannabis Use Make Babies Angry?

There I was, minding my own business when I read the headline, “Cannabis use while pregnant can lead to a more anxious and aggressive child!” That was the title of a New York Times article by Melinda Wenner Moyer, who did a study cited, which addresses maternal cannabis use and an allegedly suppressed gene network in the placenta.

The article is well written and has many links embedded in the text that create the illusion of authority. However, if you read almost two-thirds down, you will come across this paragraph;

“The study not, However, prove that prenatal cannabis use caused the children’s behavior problems. Some of the mothers said they only used cannabis after birth (although THC can pass through breast milk). And women who use cannabis may differ in other ways from abstinent women who put their children at risk for behavioral problems. You may have underlying risk factors, such as a family history of psychiatric problems or they may have been exposed to other chemicals during pregnancy that increase the risk of behavioral problems in their childrensaid Ryan Bogdan, a psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis who studies the underlying biology of psychiatric disorders. the Study authors attempted statistical methods to control such differences, but some may still have influenced the results.“- Melinda Wenner Moyer, New York Times (emphasis added)

This is not to say that there may be biological concerns about cannabis use, it certainly needs to be clinically investigated. However, as with many studies in which there are damning views about cannabis, the study cited was not clinical in nature. In addition, the phrase “Some of the mothers said they did not use cannabis until after they were born” makes the article’s claim more dubious.

Nonetheless, I decided to look at the information to see if it was true or not; whether smoking weed during pregnancy can lead to angry and anxious babies.

About the author

I think before we dive into the story we need to take a closer look at Melinda Wenner Moyer. Moyer is the author of the book “How to Raise Children Who Aren’t Assholes”. The book claims to follow science-based approaches to raising your children, but after reading some of the negative reviews on their book, there seems to be a strong ideological bias.

Their concept of the “asshole” is based on a certain mindset prevalent in mainstream media, which is perfectly fine. Of course, if you fell out of your framed view of how life should be, you would likely end up on their “asshole list” and later on, your babies could be just as good.

One of the negative reviews on her book said the following;

“I’m a huge fan of evidence-based education, like Emily Oster’s books, so I wanted to try this out. However, it felt like another book written by a parent who saw their way and introduced some studies to try to justify it. It was NOT research based. I like books where the author discusses research that has changed their approach. Rather, this is research used to justify the approach the author has already believed in. It just feels biased and a little weak. There are so many better parenting books out there that offer more radical discoveries and insights. “

Another negative criticism was: “The first 5 minutes of the book author stages are racist. That is clear CRT indoctrination. ”

Again, you’d likely be considered an asshole if you didn’t join the Critical Race Theory in the eyes of the author. Or the fact that to be “anti-racist” you have to be a racist first to be against it – at least psychologically. Framing matters! Any neuroscientist or behavioral psychologist will tell you this – but I digress.

Why is it important to understand who the author is? This is important because when the author uses studies to justify a position she already believes in, the objectivity of science is called into question. Given that her narrative is based on the “DON’T raise asshole kids” premise and uses “evidence” to justify this position – this article seems more like a well-done form of domestic promotion to niche authority “Parents who don’t raise assholes”.

The biggest problems in studying …

We have already pointed out that the study in question does not prove that prenatal cannabis use had an impact on children’s behavior. We also found that these were non-clinical studies and that some mothers smoked cannabis after the fact.

There were also environmental problems. For example, how many of these “troubled tots” had an absent father? According to Fatherhood.org, the absence of a father can lead to serious behavior problems and quadruple your chances of slipping into poverty. You’re also more likely to go to jail if you don’t have a father.

This is just one factor that can have a huge impact on your behavior problems. The fact is that studies on prenatal cannabis use are lacking. Most of these studies are conducted through surveys and interpreted based on the responses, however the vast majority of these tests have not been replicated.

Hence, it is empirically not scientific to draw any conclusions about the behavioral effects of your children from prenatal cannabis use. It essentially reduces humans entirely to biology – which is definitely less of an impact. However, how you were raised, whether you have money or not, your parent’s relationship, micro and macro experiences all play a role in how you conduct yourself.

Social norms are not determined by biology. Behavior is much more a consequence of parental action or inaction at critical points of development than the types of foods you eat. The thing about THC is that it’s a phytocannabinoid that is almost identical to anandamide – which is found in breast milk.

The fact that your endocannabinoid system is interacting with the chemical suggests that the impact on our biology is minimal. Of course, we need clinical data to see if that’s true or not – but until then, studies like the one published in the NY Times should be critically analyzed and sources studied.

I’m sure Moyer believes everything she writes and amassing additional evidence of her position – and that’s fine. Because whatever you’re looking for … you’ll find it.

CANNABIS AND PREGNANCY, READ MORE …

CANNABIS MOMS DEFEND THE USE OF CANNABIS DURING PREGNANCY

OR..

Smoking weed while breastfeeding, I did.