First on CNN: Ob/gyn group advises against cannabis use during pregnancy, recommends universal screening

Simply having a discussion about cannabis use during pregnancy may raise a patient’s awareness of potential risks and influence their behavior, new guidance says. Jamie Grill/Tetra images RF/Getty Images

New guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises that people abstain from cannabis use during pregnancy and lactation and recommends that providers ask all of their patients about cannabis use before, during and after pregnancy to help avoid potential risks.

Cannabis use has increased among pregnant people in the United States amid broadening legalization and growing social acceptance, and the nation’s leading group of ob/gyns says it issued the new recommendations Thursday to offer providers “evidence-based guidelines for counseling, screening, and s