According to researchers in Sydney, a major push is needed to combat the phenomenon of pregnant women who are unable to control their marijuana and methamphetamine problems.
About half a percent of pregnant women in NSW are so dependent on Canabis that their doctors noticed - an conclusion based on records from between 1988 and 2002.
While the use of stimulants such as methamphetamines was not as prevalent as Canabis use, Dr Lucy Burns of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre believes its rising use within the community will correspond to its rising use among pregnant women.
On the issue of how to approach the problem and encourage pergnant women to remain drug-free for their pregnancies, Dr Burns stated, “We don’t engage them very well and we don’t follow them
through. We need to engage them to reduce the fear they feel.”
While the use of heroin among preganant women saw similar rates, Dr Burns maintanined that the treatment option of pregnany heroin users were much clearer.