Meth Babies: drug scare 2.0.

• Author: Sullum, Jacob
• Position: Citings - Study on the effects of methamphetamine exposure during pregnancy

A STUDY of children who were prenatally exposed to methamphetamine, published online by the journal Pediatrics in March, prompted alarming headlines that recalled the "crack baby" panic of the 1980s and '90s. "'Meth Babies' Show More Behavior Problems," the Chicago Tribune announced. "Mom's Meth Use During Pregnancy Causes Kids' Behavioral Problems," reported CBS News.

But just as the warnings about "crack babies" handicapped for life by their mothers' drug use turned out to be wildly overblown, there was less to this study than the press coverage suggested. The researchers, led by Brown University psychologist Linda LaGasse, claimed to have identified "an important public health problem" that could "place tremendous burdens on society" based on small differences in test scores that may not even have been caused by meth exposure.

LaGasse and her colleagues administered a test called the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to 330 children, half of whom were born to mothers who had used meth during pregnancy. Over all, the scores of the exposed and nonexposed kids, who were tested at ages 3 and 5, were virtually indistinguishable. The researchers focused on a few subscales where there were statistically significant...