Perinatal Drug Abuse

Abstract

Chavkin and Kandall forcefully point out that a growing number of adolescent and young adult women who use drugs and alcohol during their pregnancy are indeed untreated.¹ A contributory factor to this situation is the fact that their drug use had not been detected prior to the pregnancy. A new way of thinking is needed to deal with this problem. In the same issue of Pediatrics, one recognized leader in the field of substance abuse after another alert us to the need for a critical reconsideration of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee recommendations on screening.^2,3