# Prenatal Cannabis Use: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Outcomes

> **NIH NIH UH3** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $120,795

## Abstract

Project summary/abstract
Cannabis use during pregnancy is a growing public health concern in the United States as more states are legalizing medical
and recreational use. Its prenatal use has significant implications for the health of the mother and her developing child.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, crosses the placenta, with greater transfer
during the early stages of pregnancy. Thus, it is important to understand the prevalence and effects of prenatal cannabis
using objective methods, since the prenatal period is a unique window of opportunity to prevent adverse neonatal
outcomes. The present study will be based on the NIH-funded MARCH (Michigan Archive for Research in Child Health)
open cohort that represents a stratified random sample of births in the lower peninsula of Michigan. This ongoing cohort,
initiated in 2017, collects questionnaires, medical records and biological samples beginning with the first prenatal visit
until later childhood, accruing a wealth of data on prenatal exposures and outcomes. Given this rich database, we propose
to examine the following specific aims: Aim 1: Assess agreement between self-reported cannabis use and urine toxicology
measures and determine correlates of non-disclosure; Aim 2: Assess the prevalence and associated characteristics
(socioeconomic status, demographic factors, psychosocial wellbeing, and concurrent use of other substances) of cannabis
use during pregnancy; Aim 3: Assess the effect of prenatal cannabis use on key neonatal outcomes; and Aim 4: Explore
the effect of prenatal cannabis use on important obstetric/maternal outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10401104
- **Project number:** 3UH3OD023285-06S1
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Charles James Barone
- **Activity code:** UH3 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $120,795
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-09-21 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10401104

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10401104, Prenatal Cannabis Use: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Outcomes (3UH3OD023285-06S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10401104. Licensed CC0.

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