COLUMBUS, Ohio — A study from researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found an association between prenatal cannabis use and “poorer thinking skills and behaviors such as impulse control, paying attention, planning ability, and more aggressive behavior” in young children.

A release from the hospital states this adds to the list of evidence about the harmful effects cannabis can have on children if they are exposed to it before they are born.

“Although cannabis is a natural product, there are still many risks to using it during pregnancy,” said Dr. Sarah Keim, principal investigator at the Center for Biobehavioral Health at Nationwide Children’s, and lead author of the study, in the release. “Some women may turn to cannabis to help deal with some common issues of pregnancy including nausea, sleep problems and stress. This is not recommended. Consulting with a health care provider to find safer options to help with these issues during pregnancy is important.”

The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

From 2016 through 2020, the study looked at 250 children, 80 of whom had been exposed to cannabis. The study also notes tobacco, alcohol and other drug use was common during pregnancy and that most families were in poverty.

It notes that children who had been exposed to cannabis had lower scores related to attention and inhibitory control in addition to “poorer task-based planning ability and more observed aggression.”

“Our findings were not surprising – they actually confirm and expand on longstanding evidence from previous research,” Keim said in the release. “With our more contemporary and diverse sample of women and children, and with much higher potency of cannabis now than in past decades, this study validates previous research and supports existing clinical recommendations for patients.”