BATON ROUGE — Experts are worried about how the most commonly used, federally illegal drug in the U.S. is affecting pregnancies.

Results from the 2020-2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health show more than 52 million people used cannabis at least once that year.

In the U.S., at least two dozen states have legalized recreational cannabis. Experts are concerned about the effects of cannabis exposure during pregnancy on children.

Researchers found many children had both cognitive and behavioral impacts.

"On average [children exposed to cannabis prenatally] had more difficulty controlling their impulses and paying attention. They had poor planning ability and also had a higher likelihood of exhibiting more aggressive behavior than the children who were not exposed to cannabis prenatally,” said Sarah Keim with the Center for Biobehavioral Health.

The CDC says cannabis use directly impacts areas of the brain and can affect memory, learning, attention, decision-making, coordination, emotion and reaction time.