by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Pregnancy

Your healthcare provider will tell you it's a bad idea to use marijuana during pregnancy, but chances are you won't hear that from a cannabis dispensary, a new study suggests.
Dispensaries are becoming increasingly common as more states legalize sales of marijuana. But many people working in these locales may not be following standard medical guidelines when talking to pregnant women, according to research findings published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.
It's not clear exactly what the effects of marijuana are on unborn babies. A limited number of studies suggest using it during pregnancy could increase the risk of birth complications and neurological problems in babies. More research is needed, but in the meantime the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends pregnant women avoid marijuana to be safe.
That's not what a majority of cannabis retailers told scientists at the University of Colorado. The researchers called 400 randomly selected dispensaries in the state and pretended to be pregnant women seeking help for morning sickness. More than two-thirds of the dispensaries advised the women to use marijuana to help their symptoms.
Most of the dispensaries ultimately told the women to get advice from a healthcare provider, but this was usually only after the researchers prompted them to do so.
If you suffer from morning sickness, there are safer ways to try to address the problem. Try these sim...