Parental alcohol and cannabis use before, during, and after pregnancy

Parental alcohol and cannabis before and during pregnancy: a pilot study

NIH-funded research University of California, San Diego · NIH-11195047

This project looks at how pregnant people and their partners use alcohol and cannabis before, during, and after pregnancy to learn about timing and patterns of co-use.

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of California, San Diego NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (La Jolla, United States)
Project IDNIH-11195047 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You and the biological father will be asked about alcohol and cannabis use before pregnancy, during each trimester, and after the baby is born so researchers can see how patterns change over time. The pilot will enroll pregnant people and their partners and collect repeated reports about whether substances were used together or separately and whether one substance replaces the other. The team will use these data to map distinct use patterns and gather feasibility information needed for a larger cohort study. Findings will help plan future research that links use patterns to birth and child development outcomes.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal participants are people who are currently pregnant (preferably early in pregnancy) and their biological fathers who can report on alcohol and cannabis use before, during, and after pregnancy.

Not a fit: People who are not pregnant, not planning pregnancy, or seeking immediate clinical treatment for substance use may not get direct benefit from participating in this observational pilot.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors give clearer guidance about combined alcohol and cannabis use around pregnancy and support prevention efforts to reduce risks to babies.

How similar studies have performed: Most prior evidence about combined prenatal alcohol and cannabis harm comes from animal studies, so this pilot is relatively novel in collecting paired human parental use data across the perinatal period.

Where this research is happening

La Jolla, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.