Nationwide Prevalence of Cannabidiol Use in Pregnancy and in Women of Reproductive Age

Clinical guidelines recommend avoiding cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD), during pregnancy and lactation. Use of CBD is widespread, but prevalence in pregnancy and among women of reproductive age is not well documented. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the 2022 and 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, with incorporation of survey sampling weights to estimate the prevalence of CBD use. Similar proportions of pregnant women and reproductive-aged women reported ever using CBD in 2022 (353.4 vs 365.1, respectively) and in 2023 (323.4 [95% CI, 259.2-387.6] vs 361.3 [95% CI, 353.6-367.0], respectively) per 1,000 population. More reproductive-aged women had used CBD within the past 30 days compared with pregnant women in 2022 (121.3 vs 43.9, respectively) and in 2023 (113.2 [95% CI, 107.4-118.9] vs 39.3 [95% CI, 16.2-62.4], respectively) per 1,000 population. Due to unknown effects of CBD during pregnancy and prevalent use, clinicians should screen for CBD use to facilitate counseling patients against use in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.