Table 2:

Categories of pregnant and lactating people’s reasons for using cannabis

Category	Definition	Indications	Representative quote
Sensation-seeking	Sometimes known as “recreational” use, whereby participants are using cannabis with a desire to get high or to create an altered state.	Fun, relaxation, to get high, liking the way it feels	“If I know my evening’s going to be relaxed and I have nothing important going on anytime soon, I might have that [cannabis] just to relax and watch funny stuff or you know just to chill in the evenings” (Participant 49).
Symptom management	Sometimes known as “therapeutic” use, this is the use of cannabis to treat symptoms that have become problematic or an impediment to daily functioning, either at the advice or under the guidance of a health professional (medically directed symptom management) or on their own (self-directed symptom management).	Depression and anxiety, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, posttraumatic stress disorder, menstrual cramps, fibromyalgia, eczema, migraines, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, chronic pain for conditions such as Ehlers–Danlos syndrome and hypermobility.	“Cannabis was just kind of always something that I used to sort of just help with the symptoms of anxiety and depression” (Participant 21).
Coping	Refers to reasons for use that improve the user’s quality of life, help them cope with what they are facing, or ease difficult or unpleasant conditions. We categorized use as being for coping when the participant’s target of improvement was not a medicalized symptom that impaired functioning, but rather a typical, nonpathologized part of life.	Sleep, stress relief, calm, focus on mundane tasks	“I just had trouble sleeping so when I had a couple puffs before bed, it would help me go to sleep quicker and stay asleep longer, which is beneficial for me the next day because I can function better” (Participant 48).