Marijuana and Breastfeeding

Marijuana remains illegal in many parts of the world. In some regions, women may find themselves at a disadvantage in legal or custody proceedings if they choose to breastfeed after inhalation or ingestion of marijuana. Despite the existence of these concerns, there remains a relative lack of evidence regarding the harm of marijuana during breastfeeding to the mother, infant, or mother-infant dyad. While some evidence exists that supports the idea for subtle changes in some areas of reasoning in children of women who use marijuana, multiple studies have shown no effects, or positive effects, in certain cultural settings. As marijuana is commonly smoked, and there is an association with maternal tobacco smoking and childhood illness and mortality, it seems appropriate to recommend that women not use marijuana while breastfeeding. If they choose to use marijuana and breastfeed, they should smoke the drug away from their infant.