Study: ADHD Patients Benefited From Medical Cannabis
This article was originally published on Leafly.com and appears here with permission.
A recent observational study conducted by a team of UK-based researchers found that medical cannabis may be beneficial for people with ADHD. In the rare study, researchers tracked specific cannabis patients with ADHD for 12 months, and observed improvements in their anxiety, sleep quality, and health-related quality of life. The patients tolerated the cannabis well: Less than one-fifth of them reported negative side effects, most of which were moderate. The authors argue that these results—while not definitive—nonetheless provide strong motivation for future studies on cannabis and ADHD.
“An association between [cannabis] treatment and improvements in anxiety, sleep quality, and general HRQoL was observed in patients with ADHD. Treatment was well tolerated at 12 months.”
Ittiphakorn, 2023, Neuropsychopharmacology Reports
Expanding ADHD Treatments With Cannabis
ADHD—or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—is a neurodevelopmental condition usually characterized by uneven focus, hyperactivity and impulsivity. While traditionally classified as a disorder, many experts now define it as a type of neurodivergence (a natural human variation in how different brains process information).
Viewed from this perspective, ADHD presents unique benefits such as creative thinking, high energy levels, and hyperfocus. Yet the diagnosis comes with its share of difficulties, too: Not just difficulty focusing, hyperactivity and impulsiveness, but higher incidence of sleep issues, anxiety, and depression. These difficulties can negatively impact quality of life, school, work, and social relationships.
The National Health Interview Survey estimates that over 10% of the US population has ADHD. While some medications have proven somewhat effective in mitigating …