Studies are exploring the potential of cannabis, particularly cannabidiol, in managing ADHD, focusing on its interactions with the body’s endocannabinoid system.
Despite promising early results, the complexity of both ADHD and cannabis effects poses significant research challenges.
Exploring Cannabis for ADHD
Cannabis, including marijuana and products containing cannabinoids and/or THC—the primary psychoactive compound in weed—has been promoted as a remedy for a wide range of conditions, from anxiety and sleep disorders to epilepsy and cancer-related pain.
Dr. Jennie Ryan, a nursing researcher at Thomas Jefferson University, focuses on how cannabis affects symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Current ADHD treatments often involve medications like Adderall and cognitive behavioral therapy, which, while effective, can have drawbacks. “Parents are interested in cannabidiol, which does not contain THC,” says Dr. Ryan. “But we don’t have the science yet to back recommendations.”
Reviewing the Evidence on Cannabis and ADHD
In a recent review paper, Dr. Ryan and her colleagues plumbed the scientific literature to compile evidence, which is generally suggestive of interactions between cannabis and ADHD. The researchers focused on how cannabis use affects ADHD symptoms. Furthermore, the human body produces its own cannabinoids – the endocannabinoid system – which led the researchers to wonder how might this endogenous system influence ADHD? They scrutinized clinical and preclinical findings, which together suggest that cannabis affects the endocannabinoid system in a variety of ways affecting attention, hyperactivity, and anxiety.
“A relationship is there,” Dr. Ryan says. However, the picture is complicated by the sheer variety of cannabis products used, the many types of endocannabinoids and their biological pathways, and the variability of ADHD presentation in people. Teasing all these factors apart, she says, “is super complicated.” In addition, cannabis researchers are hobbled by legal restrictions around marijuana.
Future Directions in Cannabis Studies
Co-author Brooke Worster, MD, who specializes in pain management and palliative care, says she suspected the published evidence would be sparse. When that was indeed what they found, “I wasn’t super surprised,” she says. “Still, it is shocking how many holes there are. We have a lot of work ahead.”
Drs. Ryan and Worster plan to publish results from a second survey of cannabis use in adults with ADHD.
Reference: “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Cannabis Use, and the Endocannabinoid System: A Scoping Review” by Jennie E. Ryan, Mitchell Fruchtman, Andrea Sparr-Jaswa, Amy Knehans and Brooke Worster, 13 September 2024, Developmental Psychobiology.
DOI: 10.1002/dev.22540
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