Examining cannabis use perspectives in pregnancy

Funded by CIHR and the Department of Family Medicine, a group of researchers in Family Medicine, Midwifery, and Obstetrics & Gynaecology are examining how pregnant and lactating people make decisions about cannabis use.  The research team is in the final year of this three year project, and have completed phase 1, publishing two systematic reviews, one on the perspectives of pregnant people and one on the perspectives of clinicians counselling about perinatal cannabis use. The second review won an award for Best Research Paper (2022) from the journal Family Practice. The research team also completed phase 2, a primary study of the perspectives of pregnant and lactating people on how and why they make decisions about perinatal cannabis use. The primary paper from that stage details reasons and motivations for perinatal cannabis use. A secondary analysis describes information seeking behaviour among people making this decision. The final stage is underway, with analysis of qualitative data from clinicians who counsel about cannabis use in pregnancy or lactation nearly complete. For more information, please contact Dr. Meredith Vanstone (vanstomg@mcmaster.ca) or Andrea Carruthers (carrua2@mcmaster.ca).