In the spring of 2001, quite a different scenario took place in the state of New Hampshire. First cousin marriages had long been forbidden in that state, and at the request of one of her constituents, Delegate Anne Grassie presented a bill to overturn that law, and allow one individual to marry the woman of his choice. As the charts above indicate, the health risk to unborn children of first cousins is very nominal, particularly when combined with such a low frequency of occurrence. There is also a 10-fold increase in the risk of nonlymphoblastic leukemia in children whose mothers used marijuana before or during gestation. Marijuana may also increase the risk of chromosomal damage.
Teenagers are also at greater risk for anemia, blood pressure problems, and complicated deliveries.
The NIDA National Pregnancy and Health Survey has uncovered a strong link between cigarette smoking and alcohol use and the use of illicit drugs in this population. Among those women who used both cigarettes and alcohol, more than 20 percent also used marijuana and 9.5 percent took cocaine. Conversely, of those women who said they had not used cigarettes or alcohol, only 0.2 percent smoked marijuana and 0.1 percent used cocaine. Pregnancy in women over 35 is on the rise Mothers who are over 35 are thirty times more likely to have a child with Down's Syndrome. Pregnant women who are 40 or over are one hundred times more likely to give birth to a Down's Syndrome baby.