Babies of cocaine-snorting mums suffer

Pregnant women who take cocaine will typically cut their babies' IQ by three points, according to American researchers. Scientists had previously thought that the effects were much worse but say that the cut is still significant.

The researchers compiled data from previous studies of prenatal cocaine exposure and analysed it to determine the drug's long-term effects on children. They found children who are exposed to cocaine before birth are slower at developing cognitive and language abilities.