(CTV News) — The legalization of cannabis and its distribution through a provincially-owned company (SQDC) have made it a more easily accessible consumer product. Yet marijuana remains a psychoactive substance that can have undesirable effects, particularly during pregnancy.
A recent Quebec institute of public health (INSPQ) study shows that many women are still unaware of the risks.
In a study entitled “Social representations of cannabis use during pregnancy,” Individual and Community Development Directorate specialist and scientific advisor Louise Pouliot concluded that the women questioned were “very little informed about the precise health risks.”
The researcher also observed that female cannabis users turn to social networks and try to explain their choice by “different personal reasons for using” rather than opening up to health professionals because of the stigma associated with the drug. (…)