Should you smoke weed for morning sickness? A new study sheds some light on the trend

Um, spoiler alert: It should be pretty obvious, but please don’t smoke pot when you’re pregnant. According to a recent study, more and more women choose to smoke weed for morning sickness. Look, we totally that morning sickness can be truly horrific. And unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there’s much the medical community can do about it: even the morning sickness pill is questionable. But using pot to treat your symptoms is about as advisable as smoking it before you go to the gym. In other words: Totally not advisable at all, at least according to some very legit doctors.

Why some women smoke weed for morning sickness

Considering what we know about drinking alcohol during pregnancy — and smoking regular cigarettes, for that matter — it’s probably no surprise that pot isn’t good for your baby. So why would anyone even try it? Realistically, Dr. Jason James is probably right when he told Self, “As marijuana becomes decriminalized and more accepted by society, many women mistakenly take this as a sign that it may be safe to use in pregnancy.”

And according to Dr. Anthony Anzalone, Hyperemesis Gravidarum — the severe form of morning sickness the Duchess of Cambridge experienced during both of her pregnancies — can actually be even more harmful than cannabis. Anzalone, who has 25 years of obstetric experience and now works with New Jersey’s medical marijuana program, told the Daily Beast, “On a scale from one to 10 [in terms of severity], Hyperemesis Gravidarum is off the charts…marijuana would help tremendously.”

"On a scale from one to 10 [in terms of severity], Hyperemesis Gravidarum is off the charts...marijuana would help tremendously."

The risks

So in extreme cases, it may help to smoke weed for morning sickness — but there’s another side to the story. Doctors don’t have a lot of information about how cannabis affects a fetus, but what they do know it isn’t all good. The main issues? Using pot during pregnancy can affect how a baby’s brain and body develops, and can even increase the risk of a stillbirth. Smoking marijuana has a lot of health benefits, but they might not be passed onto the fetus.

So, if you’re struggling with morning sickness, definitely go to your doctor. With any luck, they’ll find the best solution to keep you and the baby safe and healthy.