22nd March, 2011
A pregnant woman, Fumilayo Adeboye has been sent to Kirikiri prison in Apapa, Lagos State Southwest Nigeria for smoking marijuana in public place at Igando area Lagos.
She confessed to the police that she was taking the substance because it was good for her and the baby she was carrying in her womb.
Fumilayo revealed that she was introduced into smoking the weeds by her husband, Kehinde some years back and since then she was not only smoking but also selling it with her husband.
She said it was now a family business.
The expectant mother was arrested by the police at Igando where she had gone to smoke.
After making a confessional statement, her husband was invited but he refused to show up at the station.
She was charged to the magistrate’s court at Ejigbo on two-count charge of smoking and possession of a substance suspected to be marijuana.
When the matter came up at the court, she pleaded not guilty to the charge and pleaded with the presiding magistrate, Mrs. S. O. Solebo to grant her bail on liberal terms because she is pregnant.
The court granted her bail in the sum of N20,000 with one surety. But could not meet the bail condition because her husband who was supposed to stand as surety for her was still on the run.
The court ordered that she should be remanded in prison custody pending when she meets her bail condition.
The matter has been adjourned till 11 April 2011 for trial.
Reacting to the woman’s claim that marijuana was good for her unborn child, medical doctors this morning described her statement as that of an illiterate who does not know what she was saying.
Dr. Bode Tawak of BODET Hospital, Alausa, Lagos, described the accused as an ignorant woman who does not know the health implications of hemp smoking on herself and her unborn child.
“Marijuana or Indian hemp like cigarrette and other drugs contain nicotine which can affect her state of being. It reduces placenta diffusion of food and other nutrients needed by the unborn baby. It can also retard the growth of the baby and cause lung cancer for the mother, Dr. Tawak explained to P.M.NEWS.
In his own creaction, Dr. Paul Akintelure of Broad Hospital, Ikotun, Lagos described marijuana as a drug of substance abuse which can lead to psychosis.
“It affects the brain. It is even worse for the unborn baby. It also predisposes the woman to premature delivery. It can lead to instability and mental problem. It is not good for the unborn baby and it also bad for the mother,†he stressed.
Dr. Rotimi Adesanya, who works at Otunba Tunwase National Paediatric Hospital, Ijebu Ode, also described the woman as ignorant of the medical implications of taking Indian hemp.
“Indian hemp will lead to low birth weight and makes the baby small. Marijuana is of no benefit to the baby. We always discourage mothers from smoking during pregnancy to prevent these problems,’’ he stated.
Gerald Briggs, a pharmacist clinical specialist said it is not safe at all for expectant mothers to smoke marijuana also called pot.
According to him, smoking marijuana during pregnancy may affect the baby’s growth and the development of his nervous system.
Studies have shown that children who were exposed to marijuana during pregnancy sometimes have problems focusing their attention and solving problems.
Children of heavy pot users may also have problems with short-term memory, concentration, and judgment. (There’s no evidence so far, however, that marijuana use during pregnancy causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
One study even found that young children whose mothers smoked marijuana during pregnancy had a higher risk of leukemia than those whose mothers did not.
What’s more, there’s no way to know if the pot a pregnant woman smoking has been laced with other drugs (such as PCP) or contaminated with pesticides, which would put the baby at even higher risk. And using marijuana increases the chance that the baby will have birth defects if the mother is also drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco.
According to another expert, “if you smoked pot before you realised you were pregnant, don’t panic. The chance that your baby has been affected is very small. Still, it’s important to be honest with your practitioner about your previous use of pot and other recreational drugs. She may want to run some extra tests to be sure your baby is developing normally.
—Cyriacus Izuekwe