“I’m Treated Way Differently”
The Intersectional Risk Environment of Maternal Cannabis Use
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21645705 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Erin E Gould (University of Southern California, corresponding author), Siddhi S Ganesh (0000-0003-4330-180X, University of Southern California), Rachel Carmen Ceasar (0000-0001-8156-6898, University of Southern California) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 571-580 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-21 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Substance Use & Misuse (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1082-6084 • E-ISSN: 1532-2491 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10826084.2025.2568153 |
| PMID | 41048136 |
| OpenAlex | W4414863929 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 46 |
Introduction This research aimed to understand the perspectives and experiences of pregnant individuals using cannabis as they navigate healthcare settings and their pregnancies. We applied the lens of the intersectional risk environment, a harm reduction framework which explores the ways that social locations and environmental factors combine to impact health and well-being.Methods Using qualitative, constructivist grounded theory methods, we conducted interviews with 19 participants between December 2022 and March 2023. Individuals self-identified as racially minoritized, were 21 years of age and older, spoke English/Spanish, resided in California, and had used cannabis during pregnancy in the last 0–2 years. We used constructivist grounded theory methods to analyze the socio-structural contexts and lived experiences surrounding cannabis use and disclosure to clinicians.Results Participants who used cannabis during pregnancy described: 1) how their race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status impacted their care experiences together with their cannabis use, 2) their experience of poor perinatal care due to their insurance coverage and location of care, 3) worsening of care after disclosing cannabis use (e.g., being judged, ignored), and 4) removal from perinatal care after disclosing cannabis use.Discussion Our study showed how patients’ use of cannabis during pregnancy and their insurance status, gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic level impacted the care they received across the perinatal period. Our findings emphasize the need for the multi-level import of an intersectional risk environment framework which addresses health inequities via a social justice-oriented lens. This can be operationalized via interventions that take place at the patient-clinician, institutional, and policy levels which acknowledge patients’ overlapping identities to mitigate experiences of stigma and discrimination which are prevalent in perinatal care spaces today
Cannabis · Health care · Intersectionality · Operationalization · Poison control · Pregnancy · Psychological intervention · Socioeconomic status · Suicide prevention · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects
The Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework
Minority stress theory
Reducing Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
Rapid Ethnographic Assessments
Choose Your Method
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Urine Drug Screening on Labor and Delivery
Pregnant Women's Access to Information About Perinatal Marijuana Use
Gendered drug policy
You still have that fear”
Drug prohibition and the criminalization of immigrants
The pursuit of quality in grounded theory
A practical example of using theoretical sampling throughout a grounded theory study
Improving Cannabis Policy Research at a Pivotal Time for Policy Development
How Do Families Experience and Interact with CPS
The intersectional risk environment of people who use drugs
Hospitals as a 'risk environment
Member Checking
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |