Pot peaks in breast milk 1 hour after smoking

 

The levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in breast milk peak around 1 hour after smoking, according to a pilot pharmacokinetic study.

Eight mothers who were either occasional or chronic cannabis smokers, and who exclusively breastfed their infants, were directed to smoke a preweighed, standardized amount of “Prezidential Kush” from a preselected Denver dispensary after initially discontinuing for 24 hours. Researchers collected breast milk samples from just before smoking, and at 20 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours after smoking, according to a paper published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Smithore

The mean concentration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in the breast milk peaked at 94 ng/mL at 1 hour after smoking, and the average concentration over the whole period was 53.5 ng/mL.

This translated to an estimated relative infant dose of 2.5% of the maternal dose, or 8 mcg per kilogram per day.

“It remains unclear what exposure to cannabis products during this critical neurobehavioral development period will mean for the infant,” wrote Teresa Baker, MD, of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and her coauthors. “These questions will require an enormous effort to determine.”

Concentrations of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol metabolites 11-OH-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-Nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol were too low to be detected.

The authors noted that these metabolites are known to be more water soluble and polar than delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol itself, which may make it more difficult for them to enter the breast milk compartment.

 

Two of the participants had a low but measurable concentration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol at zero time (the samples collected just before smoking), suggesting some residual accumulation of it from prior heavy use or use close to the start of breast milk collection.

“Although the transfer of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol into the plasma compartment is almost instantaneous, the transfer of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol into breast milk in our study appears to be slightly slower than the transfer into the plasma compartment,” the authors wrote.

The women in the study were all 2-5 months postpartum. The authors noted that in these women who were exclusively breastfeeding, the breast milk compartment, along with drug entry and exit, “remains fairly consistent.”

The researchers also noted that the lack of corresponding plasma samples was a major limitation of the study, but because of the nature of the study, anonymity was important.

No conflicts of interest were declared.

SOURCE: Baker T et al. Obstet Gynecol. 2018;131:783-8.

 

The levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in breast milk peak around 1 hour after smoking, according to a pilot pharmacokinetic study.

Eight mothers who were either occasional or chronic cannabis smokers, and who exclusively breastfed their infants, were directed to smoke a preweighed, standardized amount of “Prezidential Kush” from a preselected Denver dispensary after initially discontinuing for 24 hours. Researchers collected breast milk samples from just before smoking, and at 20 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours after smoking, according to a paper published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Smithore

The mean concentration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in the breast milk peaked at 94 ng/mL at 1 hour after smoking, and the average concentration over the whole period was 53.5 ng/mL.

This translated to an estimated relative infant dose of 2.5% of the maternal dose, or 8 mcg per kilogram per day.

“It remains unclear what exposure to cannabis products during this critical neurobehavioral development period will mean for the infant,” wrote Teresa Baker, MD, of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and her coauthors. “These questions will require an enormous effort to determine.”

Concentrations of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol metabolites 11-OH-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-Nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol were too low to be detected.

The authors noted that these metabolites are known to be more water soluble and polar than delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol itself, which may make it more difficult for them to enter the breast milk compartment.

 

Two of the participants had a low but measurable concentration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol at zero time (the samples collected just before smoking), suggesting some residual accumulation of it from prior heavy use or use close to the start of breast milk collection.

“Although the transfer of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol into the plasma compartment is almost instantaneous, the transfer of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol into breast milk in our study appears to be slightly slower than the transfer into the plasma compartment,” the authors wrote.

The women in the study were all 2-5 months postpartum. The authors noted that in these women who were exclusively breastfeeding, the breast milk compartment, along with drug entry and exit, “remains fairly consistent.”

The researchers also noted that the lack of corresponding plasma samples was a major limitation of the study, but because of the nature of the study, anonymity was important.

No conflicts of interest were declared.

SOURCE: Baker T et al. Obstet Gynecol. 2018;131:783-8.

 

The levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in breast milk peak around 1 hour after smoking, according to a pilot pharmacokinetic study.

Eight mothers who were either occasional or chronic cannabis smokers, and who exclusively breastfed their infants, were directed to smoke a preweighed, standardized amount of “Prezidential Kush” from a preselected Denver dispensary after initially discontinuing for 24 hours. Researchers collected breast milk samples from just before smoking, and at 20 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours after smoking, according to a paper published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Smithore

The mean concentration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in the breast milk peaked at 94 ng/mL at 1 hour after smoking, and the average concentration over the whole period was 53.5 ng/mL.

This translated to an estimated relative infant dose of 2.5% of the maternal dose, or 8 mcg per kilogram per day.

“It remains unclear what exposure to cannabis products during this critical neurobehavioral development period will mean for the infant,” wrote Teresa Baker, MD, of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and her coauthors. “These questions will require an enormous effort to determine.”

Concentrations of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol metabolites 11-OH-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-Nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol were too low to be detected.

The authors noted that these metabolites are known to be more water soluble and polar than delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol itself, which may make it more difficult for them to enter the breast milk compartment.

 

Two of the participants had a low but measurable concentration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol at zero time (the samples collected just before smoking), suggesting some residual accumulation of it from prior heavy use or use close to the start of breast milk collection.

“Although the transfer of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol into the plasma compartment is almost instantaneous, the transfer of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol into breast milk in our study appears to be slightly slower than the transfer into the plasma compartment,” the authors wrote.

The women in the study were all 2-5 months postpartum. The authors noted that in these women who were exclusively breastfeeding, the breast milk compartment, along with drug entry and exit, “remains fairly consistent.”

The researchers also noted that the lack of corresponding plasma samples was a major limitation of the study, but because of the nature of the study, anonymity was important.

No conflicts of interest were declared.

SOURCE: Baker T et al. Obstet Gynecol. 2018;131:783-8.