Real-World Cannabis Use Disorder During Pregnancy May Be Underestimated

WEDNESDAY, April 9, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Commercial administrative claims data reveal slightly higher rates of cannabis use disorder (CUD) diagnoses during pregnancy than in previous research, according to a study published online Feb. 28 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Priscila Dib Goncalves, Ph.D., from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues examined the prevalence of CUD diagnosis during pregnancy among a large sample of commercially insured women from 2015 to 2020. The analysis included 893,430 pregnant women (aged 12 to 55 years), resulting in 1,058,448 pregnancies.

The researchers found that the cumulative prevalence of CUD diagnosis was 0.26 percent, which is slightly higher than previous research. Annual prevalence rates ranged from 0.22 percent in 2015 to 0.26 percent in 2020.

“Clinicians who regularly meet with pregnant women are well positioned to intervene in CUD but may lack the structural support to conduct relevant interventions. In addition, fear of legal repercussions related to disclosing substance use could serve as a barrier to medically appropriate interventions,” the authors write. “Pregnant women’s willingness to disclose cannabis use to providers could be related to state punitive prenatal drug policies; addressing these policy barriers could impact the degree of underestimated CUD diagnoses.”

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)