Can Marijuana Help ADHD?
A new study, published in the journal Schizophrenia Research, adds to the growing evidence that marijuana may be helpful to some who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. The study also sheds light on the ongoing controversy over marijuana’s relationship to schizophrenia.
Researchers looked at three groups of young people, age 14-21 — non-psychotic siblings of schizophrenia patients (considered at “genetic risk” for psychosis), adolescents with ADHD, and healthy controls — and compared the marijuana users with non-users in each group on a variety of psychological tests. There was a correlation between signs of mental health disturbance and marijuana use for the group of siblings at genetic risk for psychosis, but not for the other groups. This suggests that marijuana may worsen the prognosis of those with a predisposition to psychosis but does not make healthy people psychotic.
In the ADHD group, the results suggested marijuana may be beneficial: In several of the tests, there was a trend toward better functioning among the marijuana using ADHD patients than among the non-users. In the article, the researchers discuss a possible mechanism by which marijuana “could attenuate some of the behavioral symptoms of ADHD.” This is an area that cries out for more research.
Tagged with: Medical Marijuana and science by the author
16 comments
[...] Bruce Mirken @ Marijuana Policy Project Blog: There was a correlation between signs of mental health disturbance and marijuana use for the group [...]
Being diagnosedwith ADHD from a very young age, I know what its like to be hyper and destructive and to have seemingly no amount of control over those impulses, even though it may affect those around you. I also remember the side effects of Ritalin having taken it for a year or two in elementary school. Both that drug and ADHD can have serious implications on your social skills at such an early point in your life.
It wasn’t until I took a vacation to Portland Oregon when I was 26, where pot is fairly well accepted, that I took my first taste of the stuff. And as I began to further my experimentation, I noticed a general relaxed state of mind, a reduction in my nervous tics (which I still have to this day), an overall increased ability to concentrate on one thing at a time, and so on. And I began to ponder on this idea: what if I had had some form of this drug, in say a non-halucinoginec pill of some sort when I was younger? Would I have done better in school, would I have been more aware of my hyper activity and better able to conduct my self socially? This study is but a confirmation to what I already knew was true.
Now if we could only convince government of this, think how many of our nations children could benefit from a non dependency drug that actually helps kids instead of just creating more of the problems associated with drugs like Ritalin. While I grew up to be a fairly well rounded individual, its inspiring to thing that kids like me could have a better chance in school, all thanks to the natural drug that has been so demonized by our bureaucracies in Washington .
It is true that marijuana can help a person with ADHD. I was never treated with meds of any kind nor did my parents wish to seek answers and treatment from dr’s. So I struggled throughout my entire school years until one day in high school in the 10th grade my friends skip lunch and went off campus to smoke some marijuana. I went with them and participated, I smoked half a joint then went back to class. I wasn’t parinoid of being caught but instead I felt free, for the first time I didn’t care what my classmates thought about me because I wasn’t thinking about them. I was actually listening to my teacher lecture history, for the first time it wasn’t boaring, I listened with interest and I took notes. A couple of hours later I analized myself and came to the conclusion that I had knew for years, I needed meds to help me focuse. I was too afraid to ask dr’s if there was any medicine that would relate to marijuana. So I read how to book’s of growing my own weed. I only smoke it when I thought I’d have a hard subject to focuse on, I didn’t want it to get in my way of track running. I saw how my friends smoked a lot of it and vegged out and over ate junk food. It should be legal to buy and sell it. Just like cigs and alcohol and food, too much of it is unhealthy.
I never realized that i had trouble paying attention in class its just i get lazy or don’t wanna do work but i would smoke with my friends in high school and when i first did it in school i noticed i payed attention better and was very interested.but one tim ei did smoke alot and was really stoned that i could not pay attention at all so i think that the right amount of it does help you pat attention and your more interested in the subject i really think the gov. could consider it. it helps a lot im gonna do my own test and smoke everyday before school for a week then im not gonna for a week.i don’t wanna do it to long. theirs just one bad thing it goes away but i still seem stimulated to my work after the high is gone.
I’ve known this for a long time and didn’t need a scientific study to confirm it for me. I was so sure of it, that I’ve been asking dr’s for years if they have noticed a connection between marijuana smokers and ADHD. Even when you can tell they’d prefer to not answer the question, they all confirm the connection is there. Every time. I get a kick out of seeing the look on their face when I ask. I’m glad to see research is being done and information is finally being made to the public.
Definitely it does.. have a look at the following link:
https://dspace.library.uvic.ca:8443/dspace/bitstream/1828/416/1/verkerk_2004.pdf
weed is what made me do good in school sports and to just relax ADHD is very hard to control but when i smoke i can think about one thing at a time and do the problem but on the pill or not i cant get a thing done it really made my life hard to live till age 14 after that i started to make friends started doing better in school and every thing and i can say it did not make me want to do coke or meth. people its not a gateway drug it helps people not kills the only drug you cant OD on. it needs to be for legal use for anyone that needs it
This makes no sense at all. From what science knows about pot and ADHD, pot causes ADHD. My son took a IQ test after he smoked pot and had horrible results. His score years earlier without pot qualified him for the gifted program. I think it just makes you think your smart.
Actually, Cathy, there is considerable evidence that marijuana can help at least some ADHD patients. See, for example: http://www.cannabis-med.org/english/journal/short.php?id=13 . That link will take you to the abstract, which in turn has a link to the full article, which contains some other interesting references.
i am 14 and have adhd and have a ton of problems with my sisters and mom and dad i have taken pills all my life and they just dont seem to work i am considering talking to my parents and see what they think, if we should talk to my doctor or not, but im scared cuz i have smoked mj before and i dont want to have to take a drug test to get a licence, what should i do, i dont want my parents knowing that i have smoked before.
Jordan, I wish you luck dealing with this situation. No one at MPP is qualified to give you or your parents medical advice, and this is clearly a tricky situation. In most circumstances I would say that marijuana is clearly not good for kids your age, so I would be very cautious about proceeding. Marijuana is not generally accepted as an ADHD treatment, and the evidence is still pretty sketchy, so don’t be surprised if both your doctor and your parents are skeptical — and might even get upset at the very idea. I can’t tell you what to do, but this may be something that’s best left for when you’re an adult. In any case, good luck.
hello im correy, im 13 and i have ADHD
i have tried marijuana a couple of times before
and i have noticed a difference in my behavoir.
Usually most of the time im very jittery and compulsive,
but when marijuana is in my system i become more calm.
Every person with ADHD knows that there brain does not work
right because their is a chemical in our brain that is missing.
Well i did some reserch on the internet and i have found out that
the chemical we are missing in our brains is in marijuana
i still use this plant continously and i feel great.
people with ADHD can not become addicted because we are
missing that certain chemical in our brain.
Pot has that chemical.
If you do not believe me then do our research on the internet,
it’ll show you.
LEGALIZE THE GANJA PLEASE
D.E.A STAY AWAY
Correy (#12), thank you for sharing your experiences. But I do think it’s important to remember that self-medication with any drug can be risky without your doctor involved. Even though it may be difficult, I hope you are able to talk honestly to your parents and your doctor about this.
hello i am 15 and i suffer from adhd and my doctor has prescribed me adderal and it does what it is supposed to like calm me down and stuf f but i get real shakey and i have noticed that instead of have twiches i go into a little seasure and i have dabbled with marijuana and if i found the right amount for me tha makes me calm and able to focus more but my mother realized this and she tried to help me but my father belived that she was olny hurting me and i found that if i smoke some at night it relaxes me and alows me to fall asleap without haveing to take the sleaping pills my doctor gave me and also it help with my constant upset stumach i dont really know if it is the weed or thee fact that it is relifing the stress and helping my stumach or what i want to tell my dad and my doctor about what i have found and when i need to rember lines for theater if i smoke i have an almost photographic memory and im worried that if i tell them i will get in some kind of trouble can i get in trouble with my doctor for telling him what i have discovered that marijuana has done for me?and can i get a perscpition for medical marijuana in the state of west virginia
Mikey, you have brought up a difficult and tricky question. Unfortunately, we are not qualified to give either legal or medical advice, so I can’t positively tell you what to do. In general, though, it is never a good idea to self-medicate without your doctor and family being involved and knowing what’s going on, and except where there is a clear medical need, there are good reasons for someone your age not to use marijuana. So I hope you can find a way to talk to them about this and figure out the best thing to do with them fully involved. Unfortunately, West Virginia does not have a medical marijuana law, so even if your doctor and parents were to agree that it is appropriate, you would still be at legal risk. I’m sorry I can’t give you a more definitive answer, but good luck and best wishes.
i think that marijuana helps me out because i have ad/hd and im sitting in iss i smoke every mourning before my mom wakes up and before i go to bed i take meds for my manic bipolar and severe adhd and when i smoke i feel like my minds not racing and im stuck between really mad and really sad and this is my theory on marijuana and fuck the police
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