EP 128: Cannabis Use in Pregnancy

NASW Social Work Talks Podcast

In this episode of Social Work Talks, we discuss cannabis use and the impact it has on pregnancy and help social workers bring awareness to women who are pregnant and using cannabis. Joining us today are Dr. Roger Zoorob, the Richard M. Kleberg Senior Professor and Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and Dr. Mary Velasquez, Centennial Professor and Leadership for Community Professional and Corporate Excellence and Director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, Steve Hicks School of Social Work.

Tune in, learn, and share.

Guests:

• Mary M Velasquez, Director, Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
• Roger Zoorob, Richard M Kleberg Senior Professor and Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine

Posted April 2, 2025

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Show Notes

Dr. Zoorob (Published within the last five years: 2019 – 2024):

• Cannabis Use During Pregnancy
• Asynchronous online training increased knowledge, confidence, and intent to screen and treat substance use disorders among primary care clinicians practicing in Texas
• Factors associated with intention to implement SBI and SUD treatment: a survey of primary care clinicians in Texas enrolled in an online course
• Substance Misuse in Adults: A Primary Care Approach
• Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program for Urban High-Risk Females
• Racial/ethnic variations in alcohol and cigarette use by pregnancy status among 20- to 44-year-old women, NHANES 2001–2018
• Substance Use Disorders
• Implementing peer recovery coaching and improving outcomes for substance use disorders in underserved communities
• Opioid, Cocaine, and Amphetamine use Disorders are Associated with Higher 30-Day Inpatient Readmission Rates in the United States
• The association between use of opiates, cocaine, and amphetamines during pregnancy and maternal postpartum readmission in the United States: A retrospective analysis of the Nationwide Readmissions Database
• Substance Use Issues Among the Underserved: United States and International Perspectives
• Chapter 13 - Addressing Substance Use with the Adolescent in Primary Care: The SBIRT Model

Dr. Velasquez:

• Women and Drinking: Preventing Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies
• Health Behavior Research and Training Institute

Resources

Velasquez, M,M., Ling, D., von Sternberg, K. (2022). Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Oxford Bibliographies in Social Work. Ed. Edward J. Mullen. New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/OBO/9780195389678-0313

Velasquez, M.M., von Sternberg, K., Floyd, R.L., Parrish, D., Kowalchuk, A., Stephens, N.S., Ostermeyer, B., Green, C., Seale, J.P., & Dolan Mullen, P. (2017). Preventing alcohol- and tobacco-exposed pregnancies with CHOICES Plus in primary care clinics: a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 85-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.02.012

Velasquez, M. M., von Sternberg, K. & Parrish, D. (2013). CHOICES: An integrated behavioral intervention to prevent alcohol exposed pregnancies among high-risk women in community settings. Social Work in Public Health, 28(3-4), 224-233.

Green, F. O., Harlowe, A. K., Edwards, A., Alford, D. P., Choxi, H., German, J. S., Ling, D., Pawlukiewicz, I., Peterson, R., von Sternberg, K., & Velasquez, M. M. (2024). Multi-level approaches to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders prevention education and training for health professionals. Substance Use & Addiction Journal, 46(2), 430-438. https://doi.org/10.1177/29767342241273397