# Teen Mothers’ Prenatal Cannabis Use and Co-Use with Tobacco

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $676,607

## Abstract

The science regarding the safety of cannabis use in pregnant teens urgently needs to catch up to the rapidly
increasing acceptance, availability, and potency of today’s cannabis, along with increasing co-use of cannabis
with tobacco. Pregnant teens may find it more difficult than pregnant adults to quit smoking tobacco and
cannabis. Cannabis is three times more potent than the cannabis used in earlier cohort studies of adult mothers.
Yet, older studies with adult mothers found subtle yet persistent effects of prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE)
and prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) on behavioral outcomes. This study is based upon the body of evidence
showing striking differences between substance use in teen and adult mothers, recent societal changes in
cannabis use, and the dangers of co-use with tobacco. It is crucial to determine whether cannabis and co-using
pregnant teens differ from other pregnant teens, and to determine the effects of PCE and co-exposure on their
infants and family functioning in the postpartum. Aim 1: Determine maternal and family characteristics
associated with cannabis use and co-use with tobacco in pregnant adolescents from the 1st trimester through 6
and 12 months postpartum. Aim 2: Identify trimester-specific effects of exposures to PCE and co-use with
tobacco on infant neurodevelopment and memory, as well as maternal mental health, perceived stress, and use
of social services, controlling for baseline differences among pregnant adolescents. The proposed study uses a
mixed-methods approach to investigate cannabis and tobacco use in teen mothers during and after pregnancy,
factors associated with their persistence and desistance of cannabis and tobacco use, and the effects of PCE
and co-use on mother and infant outcomes at delivery, 6, and 12 months. We will screen 1,120 pregnant teens
for 1st trimester substance use, to recruit 620 girls for a prospective, longitudinal study. We will match these 4
groups on race, age, and insurance status: cannabis-only (PCE), tobacco-only (PTE), cannabis + tobacco
(PCE+PTE), and non-users. Participants will be seen at the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, and 6 months postpartum.
Delivery and neonatal data will be extracted from medical records for all live births, and data on medical and
public services usage will be obtained from the electronic health record and the PA Department of Human
Services Data Warehouse 12 months postpartum. Maternal substance use and functioning will be measured
using Timeline Followback interviews, standardized assessments on tablets, and biological quantification. Infant
development, temperament, and secondhand smoke exposure will be assessed 6 months postpartum. For a
better understanding of pregnant and parenting teens’ beliefs, attitudes, and the social contexts of their cannabis
and co-use with tobacco, a subsample (n=15/group) will complete qualitative interviews at each time point. The
innovative combination of standardized assessments, rich qualitative data, b...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9920123
- **Project number:** 5R01DA046401-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Natacha De Genna
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $676,607
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9920123

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9920123, Teen Mothers’ Prenatal Cannabis Use and Co-Use with Tobacco (5R01DA046401-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9920123. Licensed CC0.

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