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Summary: Substance Abuse During Pregnancy

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Substance abuse during pregnancy is a very important and relevant health policy issue. “According to a national survey conducted in the United States in 2012, 5.9% of pregnant women use illicit drugs, 8.5% drink alcohol and 15.9% smoke cigarettes, resulting in over 380,000 offspring exposed to illicit substances, over 550,000 exposed to alcohol and over one million exposed to tobacco in utero (Forray, 2016).” There has also been an increasing number of pregnant women who are taking opioid medication, whether prescribed or illicit. “Among pregnant women aged 15 to 44, 5.4 percent were current illicit drug users based on data averaged across 2012 and 2013 (SAMHSA, 2014). Due to the growing number of pregnant women using opioids, regardless of
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