Financial advisor Anil Jethmal is asked about it all the
time. And his answer is always the
same. He refuses to recommend purchase
of any cannabis stock. It does not
matter what the prospects for the stock or the industry are. Some things, Anil Jethmal strongly believes,
are more important than money.
The concern is less for adults and what harm they may or may
not be doing to themselves. His issue
has to do with pregnant mothers’ usage of cannabis...and the lifelong harm it
does to the defenseless human beings yet to be born.
As cannabis use has become legal in an increasing number of jurisdictions
in the US, more people are being forthcoming about their use. While it seems intuitive that marijuana use would
be dangerous for the health of the baby, medical researchers now have conclusive
evidence of its ill effects on the fetus during gestation. The
cannabinoids cross the placental barrier, then pass through the umbilical cord
and towards the baby’s liver. They can
then remain within the baby’s circulatory system for up to five days.
The danger does not end at birth. Once the baby is born,
those breastfeeding mothers pass on additional doses of toxicity to their
newborns, equivalent to eight times the mother’s THC to blood level.
Research has shown that these babies on average
experience significantly lower birth weight.
In early development and adolescence, they develop elevated levels of
attention deficit disorders, hyperactivity, anxiety and depression.
Alarmingly, seventy percent of women in the UnitedStates believe that there is “slight or no risk of harm” in using cannabis during pregnancy. Increased legalization
could move that percentage higher.
Unfortunately, many mothers refuse to acknowledge the
harm they are causing their babies. This
is likely due to their lack of education on the matter coupled with their
physical and mental addictions to cannabis.
For Anil Jethmal, education is the key.
Without it, sadly, it is the yet unborn who will pay the price for life.
