Conclusion
There is a growing body of evidence about the perspectives of pregnant
people on cannabis use in pregnancy, but this literature does not yet
include the perspectives of their partners, or perspectives about the
use of cannabis during lactation. Many studies do not acknowledge that
there are specific reasons that people choose to use cannabis during
pregnancy, and a host of perceived benefits to this use. This gap may
reflect the influence of the researcher’s assumptions about cannabis use
on the study design of existing evidence. As cannabis use rates rise in
many jurisdictions following legalization, additional research on the
ways and reasons that people use cannabis during the perinatal period is
necessary to encourage informed decisions that reduce risk to pregnant
people and their future children.
Acknowledgments: Caroline Higgins designed and conducted the
literature search. Meera Mahmud assisted with critical appraisal.
Disclosure of Interests : There are no conflicts to declare.
Contribution to Authorship: MV, SM, MB, BMD, ED secured
funding. MV, SM, DG, SM, RP, MB, BMD, ED designed the study. MV, JP, AP,
ST collected data. MV, JP, AP, ST led analysis, with contributions from
SM, DG, SM, RP, MB, BMD, ED. MV drafted the manuscript, which was
critically revised by JP, AP, ST, DG, SM, RP, MB, BMD, ED. All authors
approved the final version to be submitted and agree to be accountable
for the content.
Ethical Approval: All data were in the public domain so ethical
approval was not required.
Funding: This study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of
Health Research, who had no role in the design, conduct, or reporting of
the research.