Published in JAMA Network Open, a study builds on previous findings that Black newborns are more likely to be tested for prenatal drug exposure than other racial or ethnic groups, even when no risk factors for substance use disorders are present.
The researchers found that racial inequities in newborn drug testing persisted over a seven-year period, both before and after cannabis legalization. Among positive tests for newborn drug exposure, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component in cannabis, was the most frequently detected substance.
“In the absence of a standardized newborn drug screening policy, we observed inconsistencies in how and when clinicians ordered drug tests for newborns with a low risk of prenatal drug exposure,” said Dr. Lauren Oshman, senior author of the study and an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. “We measured drug testing rates before and after cannabis legalization to see if the change in law improved or worsened these inequities and found it didn’t appear to make any difference.”
Analyzing data from 26,366 births at the University of Michigan Health between 2014 and 2020, researchers noted that newborns born to white parents were 24% less likely to be drug tested than those born to Black parents. However, positive drug tests for opioids were more common among white newborns, suggesting that some white newborns may be under-tested, potentially missing opportunities to identify and treat opioid use disorder.
