Managing cannabis use in breastfeeding women

New Rochelle, NY, January 15, 2020–As more states legalize medicinal and recreational cannabis use and increasingly decriminalize cannabis, the risk to the growth and development of breastfeeding infants whose mothers use cannabis becomes a growing public health concern. The critical role that certified lactation consultants (CLCs) could play in postpartum management of cannabis use and a Call to Action to expand the role of CLCs is published in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the protocol free on the Breastfeeding Medicine website through February 15, 2020.

The article entitled “Management of Cannabis Use in Breastfeeding Women: The Untapped Potential of Certified Lactation Consultants” was coauthored by Kara Skelton, PhD and Sara Benjamin-Neelon, PhD, MD, MPH RD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Baltimore, MD) and Kelly Young-Wolff, PhD, MPH, Kaiser Permanente Northern California (Oakland, CA) and University of California, San Francisco.

CLCs are specialized healthcare professionals who provide evidence-based support for the clinical management of breastfeeding. The authors encourage obstetricians and pediatricians to partner with CLCs to help identify women who are using cannabis while breastfeeding and to provide education and counseling to encourage them to suspend or at least minimize cannabis use while nursing. Data have shown that the active ingredient in cannabis is transferred to the infant via breastmilk and remains in the infant’s system for about 6 days, raising concern what adverse effect it may have on the infant’s long-term growth and neurodevelopment.

Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine, states: “CLCs are a potential asset to the healthcare team caring for the maternal/infant dyad, and because of their intimate personal involvement with mothers they can serve as the critical professional in guiding nursing mothers on the proper use of cannabis products.”

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K01 DA043604. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

###

About the Journal

Breastfeeding Medicine the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published 10 times per year in print and online. The Journal publishes original scientific papers, reviews, and case studies on a broad spectrum of topics in lactation medicine. It presents evidence-based research advances and explores the immediate and long-term outcomes of breastfeeding, including the epidemiologic, physiologic, and psychological benefits of breastfeeding. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Breastfeeding Medicine website.

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) is a worldwide organization of medical doctors dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding. Our mission is to unite members of the various medical specialties with this common purpose. For more than 20 years, ABM has been bringing doctors together to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing breastfeeding across the globe. A vast body of research has demonstrated significant nutritional, physiological, and psychological benefits for both mothers and children that last well beyond infancy. But while breastfeeding is the foundation of a lifetime of health and well-being, clinical practice lags behind scientific evidence. By building on our legacy of research into this field and sharing it with the broader medical community, we can overcome barriers, influence health policies, and change behaviors.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Women’s Health, Childhood Obesity, and Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.