Does marijuana really harm children? Study yields surprising results

October 21, 4:42 PMBoston NORML ExaminerMike Cann

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Cannabis using moms? Not bad for the kids?
Photo Credit, Kate Samp : katesampphotography.com

"Our testing showed that the children of women who used ganja had better alertness, stability and adjustment than children of women who didn't use ganja. This was measured at the age of one month. We measured children again at four years and at five years of age, and found that there were no apparent deficits in the children of marijuana-using mothers. In fact, in many ways, they were better off than children of non-smoking mothers. The ganja-using mothers also seemed better off than non-users." Dr. Melanie Dreher from CannabisCulture.com.

Video: "Melanie Dreher, PhD, explains her cannabis and pregnancy research study in Jamaica. Pregnant women and their children were studied for over ten plus years, both marijuana smokers and non-smokers were included in the study. One of the first scientific studies of the effects that cannabis may have on pregnancy and the child's development thereafter."

This study isn't suggesting that children should smoke weed but does shed light on cannabis use and it's effects on the general cognitive index for children with mothers who did use. And also children that may have been exposed to cannabis teas and food. Does cannabis use/exposure such as this harm children? The science with this big sample, says it doesn't hurt and that it just might help.

The study was funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).