Most pregnant marijuana users don't receive safety counseling they want

Pregnant patients were surveyed to determine marijuana use, their interest in additional education of the risks marijuana use in pregnancy, and if they had been educated by their providers about these. Fisher's exact tests were used to determine significant differences in both demographics and survey answers on provider education between those who used and did not use marijuana during pregnancy. 409 patients were surveyed with 367 completing the survey. 87 participants (23.7%) of those surveyed endorsed marijuana use in their current pregnancy. Significant differences between those who used marijuana and those who did not were seen in race/ethnicity (17.1% among White people versus 38.9% among those of other race/ethnicity; p = 0.017), age (with 33.3% of 18-24 year olds reporting the highest use vs. 0.0% of ≥ 40 year olds reporting the lowest use; p = 0.014) and education level (with those who had not completed high school reporting the highest rates of use, p = 0.001). 15.3% of all respondents received counseling on the risks of marijuana use during pregnancy. Among those who used marijuana, 25.3% received the counseling, compared to 12.1% of those who did not use (p = 0.003). 41.4% of those who used marijuana expressed an interest in additional information on this topic, significantly higher than those who did not use (p < 0.001). A gap exists in the area, as only 25%of pregnant patients who used marijuana reported receiving counseling, compared to the 41% who stated a desire for additional information. This emphasizes the need for both accessible resources on how marijuana affects both the pregnant mother and infant, as well as education for providers on this gap in care.