Does the fetus get high if the mother uses marijuana?
No, when the mother uses marijuana during pregnancy, the fetus does not get “high”. Though it has been documented that delta-9-thc does cross the placenta, the metabolite 11-nor-9-carboxy-thc does not readily cross the placenta, and the fetus does not metabolize 11-nor-9-carboxy-thc into delta-9-thc as the mother does. Three late-term (Gestational Days 146-151) rhesus monkeys were given 0.3 mg/kg delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) intravenously via the maternal radial vein to quantify the placental transfer and fetal disposition of THC, the major psychoactive component of marijuana. Simultaneous blood samples were obtained from a maternal uterine vein and an intraplacental artery at 0, 3, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 180 min after dosing using an intraplacental cannulation technique. Samples of fetal plasma, spleen, testis, lung, brain, liver, bile, kidney, adrenals, thymus, and placenta were obtained at 180 min postdose. Samples were analyzed for THC and a major metabolite, 11-nor-9-c
