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Background: Cannabis use among pregnant and lactating people is increasing, despite clinical evidence showing that cannabis use may be associated with low birth weight and childhood developmental deficits. Our objective was to understand why pregnant and lactating people use cannabis and how these motivations change across perinatal stages. Methods: Using qualitative, constructivist grounded theory methodology, we conducted telephone and virtual interviews with 52 individuals from across Canada. We selected participants using maximum variation and theoretical sampling. They were eligible if they had been pregnant or lactating within the past year and had decided to continue, cease or decrease their cannabis use during the perinatal period. Results: We identified 3 categories of reasons that people use cannabis during pregnancy and lactation: sensation-seeking for fun and enjoyment; symptom management of chronic conditions and conditions related to pregnancy; and coping with the unpleasant, but non-pathologized, experiences of life. Before pregnancy, participants endorsed reasons for using cannabis in these 3 categories in similar proportions, with many offering multiple reasons for use. During pregnancy, reasons for use shifted primarily to symptom management. During lactation, reasons returned to resemble those expressed before pregnancy. Interpretation: In this study, we showed that pregnant and lactating people use cannabis for many reasons, particularly for symptom management. Reasons for cannabis use changed across reproductive stages. The dynamic nature of the reasons for use across stages speaks to participant perception of benefits and risks, and perhaps a desire to cast cannabis use during pregnancy as therapeutic because of perceived stigma., Cannabis use by pregnant and lactating people is increasing, though it is difficult to establish the prevalence of cannabis use in pregnancy. Reported prevalence varies from 2% to 36%, depending [...]

Byline: Special to the RBJ The legalization of recreational marijuana in New York state is not going to supplant the medical marijuana industry because there are many reasons why people [...]

> THE PATIENT 24-year-old man. > SIGNS & SYMPTOMS --History of smoking tobacco and cannabis --Dyspnea --Chest tightness > THE CASE A 24-year-old man with a history of smoking tobacco [...]

Is marijuana the workouts (and muscles) have been missing? send your fitness goals up in smoke? M&F investigates. IT BEGAN FOR KYLE KINGSBURY THE WAY it began for a lot [...]

Researchers are recommending routine screening of marijuana use in cardiovascular care settings. A review of current evidence suggests an association between marijuana use and adverse cardiovascular effects, as well as [...]

When it comes to cannabinoids, some pharmacists find themselves on shaky ground: according to Jeffrey Stewart, RPh, 78% of pharmacists are uncomfortable answering patient questions about CBD, and 76% didn't [...]

A pleasure shared Correlation is not necessarily causation THAT cannabis and schizophrenia are linked is widely accepted. Several studies suggest the drug can set off short-term psychotic episodes in those [...]

Byline: Joanne Wojcik Employers in Colorado and Washington say they would like to see testing improved to more easily determine an employee's current level of marijuana intoxication 'We just need [...]

FROM JAMA PEDIATRICS DESPITE GENERAL DECREASES in cigarette and alcohol use among pregnant women during 2002-2016, cannabis use in pregnancy persisted and has actually increased slightly over the past 14 [...]

Women who use marijuana while breastfeeding produce breast milk with a measurable amount of the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC), for up to 6 days since they [...]

Detecting impairment from cannabis is not as straightforward as detecting alcohol because of the complex nature of the drug and lack of conclusive research about the dose-effect of cannabis. The [...]

FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION HONOLULU - Synthetic marijuana, known as 'spice,' appears to have induced psychosis in 10 young service members in the US. Naval [...]

LOS ANGELES -- Cannabis use in adolescence was associated with the subsequent development of depression, but the reverse did not prove to be true in a large, longitudinal study presented [...]

Patients with fibromyalgia treated with a synthetic form of marijuana, nabilone, showed significant reductions in pain and anxiety in a first-of-its-kind study, indicates the American Pain Society, Glenview, Ill. Fibromyalgia [...]