One of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was an increase in marijuana consumption—including among pregnant women. In California, cannabis use by women in early pregnancy shot up 25 percent during the pandemic, according to a new Kaiser Permanent study of more than 100,000 pregnancies in northern California. Patients were, on average 31 years old, and were more likely to use pot if they had experienced depression, anxiety, or trauma. Although pot use during pregnancy has been linked to low birth weight and impaired neurodevelopment, such use has been creeping up over time, the study said and is consistent with the overall rise in cannabis sales in California over the time period studied, 2019-2020. The study noted that women also seek out advice from peers and online communities supportive of cannabis when choosing whether to use such products during pregnancy, which adds to the confusion, along with dispensaries that market pot as a safe and effective way to manage pregnancy symptoms.
Meanwhile, another study of marijuana found that increased use may lead to a significantly higher risk of contracting a COVID-19 breakthrough infection. The study, published in World Psychiatry, focused on fully vaccinated people with substance use disorder, a condition that involves uncontrolled dependence on substances including marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, opioids, and tobacco. Patients with cannabis use disorder had a higher risk for breakthrough infection even after they were matched for adverse socioeconomic determinants. The study speculated that the higher risk could be due to behavioral differences or the effects that the drug has on the lungs or the immune system.
And finally, California Gov. Gavin Newsome is expected to sign a novel law that would allow the state Medicaid agency to pay people not to use methamphetamines and cocaine—making it the first state to do so. The payments are part of an addiction treatment program called contingency management, which incentivizes drug users with money or gift cards to stay off drugs. Some studies—and the experience of a Veterans Administration program—suggest that such positive reinforcement works, especially for meth or cocaine addiction. As drug overdoses surge across the country, many states are seeking new approaches to treatment, and are appealing to federal authorities to make contingency management more widely available.