Prenatal Cannabis, Tobacco Exposure Tied to Lower Thinking Scores in Kids

New research raises questions about substances used during pregnancy. A study in the journal Addiction analysed baseline data from the ABCD cohort and found that children exposed to both cannabis and tobacco before birth scored lower on a fluid cognition test than peers who had neither exposure. The details make for compelling reading.

From 11,865 children aged nine to eleven who were screened, the final sample was 8,706, including 236 exposed to both substances, 195 to cannabis only, 803 to tobacco only and 7,472 to neither. Cannabis-only children scored about 2.1 points higher than the co-exposed group, while unexposed children scored about 1.4 points higher.

Crystallized cognition showed no significant differences, and the interaction between the two substances was only narrowly significant. The authors note that exposure relied on retrospective recall and the study was not preregistered, so the results are an association that needs confirmation rather than proof of harm. More updates are expected soon.