Multiple studies have suggested that prenatal marijuana exposure exerts long-term effects on the child's:

• A. Behavior
• B. Growth
• C. Language
• D. Social development

Answer: (A)

Prenatal exposure to cannabis can impact fetal brain development in ways that tend to manifest as behavioral regulation difficulties later on. The endocannabinoid system plays a role in neural development, so exogenous cannabinoids can alter attention, impulse control, and behavioral regulation, leading to observable behavior problems in childhood and sometimes adolescence. These behavioral effects are more consistently reported across studies than changes in growth, language, or social development, which are more variable and heavily influenced by confounding factors such as tobacco use, nutrition, and home environment. Growth effects may be seen at birth but often do not persist into later childhood, and language or social development findings are mixed after adjusting for confounders.