“Our movement is not to support just willy-nilly recreational cannabis consumption throughout pregnancy. It’s here to help women make a choice that they feel is safer than pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications,” said Jeanna Houch, founder of CannaMama, a collective composed of over 5,000 mamas who advocate the use of cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Houch and two other CannaMamas spoke with Denver’s Fox 31 News about their decisions and steadfast support of each other and other mothers who are either considering cannabis for symptoms of pregnancy or who are doing so privately.
Naturally, smoking anything while pregnant is considered a no-no in most medical circles, but these are women who are having trouble keeping any food down at all, making edibles an impossibility. The anecdotal evidence that CannaMamas are bringing to the table is that smoking pot while pregnant eases morning sickness and other appetite problems that can crop up with pregnancy.
CannaMamas is an online community that considers themselves a movement. They want to spread awareness that the stigma behind smoking while pregnant is unfounded. Though none of their evidence is yet scientific, the mamas have expressed their desire to be part of clinical trials. Of course, it’s a very controversial idea.
Fertility specialist at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center, Dr. Althea O’Shaughnessy, told Fox 31 that, “Animal studies and some human studies have shown that marijuana has adverse affects on neurological development. Kids who were born from mothers who consume marijuana have some developmental issues that point to the fact that the marijuana may have been implicated in causing these issues.”
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The women behind CannaMamas, however, say not so with their children, pointing to academic and personal achievements of the kids born with cannabis in their systems and who then breastfed while mom was still smoking cannabis.
“Cruel [individuals] often call us selfish, tell us we’re harming our children,” Houch said. “They don’t even take the time to listen to our stories. Cannabis is not crack. Cannabis is not heroin. Cannabis is not alcohol.”
The CannaMamas hope the next set of people to hear their stories will be legislators with open minds and hearts to their controversial cause.
