TY - JOUR PY - 2018// TI - Marijuana use by breastfeeding mothers and cannabinoid concentrations in breast milk JO - Pediatrics A1 - Bertrand, Kerri A. A1 - Hanan, Nathan J. A1 - Honerkamp-Smith, Gordon A1 - Best, Brookie M. A1 - Chambers, Christina D. SP - e20181076 EP - e20181076 VL - 142 IS - 3 N2 - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Marijuana is the most commonly used recreational drug among breastfeeding women. With legalization of marijuana in several US states and a 1990 study in which authors documented psychomotor deficits in infants breastfed by mothers using marijuana, there is a need for information on potential exposure to the breastfed infant. Our objective with this study was to quantify cannabinoids in human milk after maternal marijuana use. METHODS: Between 2014 and 2017, 50 breastfeeding women who reported marijuana use provided 54 breast milk samples to a research repository, Mommy's Milk. Concentrations of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC), 11-hydroxy-Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, and cannabinol were measured by using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry electrospray ionization. RESULTS: ∆9-THC was detectable in 34 (63%) of the 54 samples up to ∼6 days after last reported use; the median concentration of ∆9-THC was 9.47 ng/mL (range: 1.01-323.00). Five samples had detectable levels of 11-hydroxy-Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (range: 1.33-12.80 ng/mL) or cannabidiol (range: 1.32-8.56 ng/mL). The sample with the highest concentration of cannabidiol (8.56 ng/mL) did not have measurable ∆9-THC. Cannabinol was not detected in any samples. The number of hours since last use was a significant predictor of log ∆9-THC concentrations (−0.03; 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.04 to −0.01; P =.005). Adjusted for time since last use, the number of daily uses and time from sample collection to analysis were also significant predictors of log ∆9-THC concentrations (0.51; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.99; P =.039; 0.08; 95% CI 0.00 to 0.15; P =.038, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: ∆9-THC was measurable in a majority of breast milk samples up to ∼6 days after maternal marijuana use.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0031-4005 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-1076 ID - ref1 ER -