Maternal opiate usage grows considerably

A study published online in JAMA reveals that the rate of mothers abusing opiates during pregnancy has increased by almost five times between 2000 and 2009 in the United States. In addition, the researchers found that the number of newborns with drug withdrawal symptoms (neonatal abstinence syndrome [NAS]) has increased by almost three times and has significantly increasing hospital costs. According to results from a recent study 16.2% of pregnant teens and 7.4% of pregnant women aged 18 to 25 years take illegal drugs. The researchers explain: NAS "most commonly occurs in the context of antepartum [before birth] opiate use, although other drugs have also been implicated. In addition to NAS, illicit drug use (specifically opioid dependence) during pregnancy is associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse neonatal outcomes such as low birthweight (