Prenatal THC and Stress Synergistically Impair Maternal Care and Offspring Neurodevelopment

Cannabis use during pregnancy is an increasing clinical concern, often driven by patients seeking to manage comorbid stress and anxiety [1]. While prenatal cannabis exposure has been linked to neonatal outcomes like low birth weight, its long-term effects on child behavioral regulation and psychiatric vulnerability remain poorly defined [2, 3]. The clinical picture is further complicated by the high prevalence of mental health multimorbidity (the co-occurrence of two or more psychological conditions) during pregnancy, which affects nearly 2% of women globally [4]. Research suggests that early life stress and substance exposure may interact with genetic predispositions to influence the risk of developing complex disorders later in life [5]. Understanding how these environmental stressors and substance exposures converge is essential for refining prenatal risk assessments and pediatric follow-up protocols.