ADHD and Marijuana

🌿 ADHD, Marijuana, and Expectation: Parsing the Subtle Risks in Young Adulthood

New research is revealing how the expectancies surrounding marijuana—those subtle assumptions about its social, cognitive, and emotional effects—may operate differently for individuals with ADHD.

📊 Expectancies: The Silent Drivers

In a study from the Pittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study (Harty et al., 2015), researchers compared 306 young adults, 190 with childhood ADHD and 116 without. Using self-reported measures, they explored how marijuana use was tied to various expectancies—from cognitive impairment to sexual enhancement.

Their findings were nuanced: ADHD participants had lower expectations that marijuana would enhance social experiences or reduce tension. Yet they still used marijuana at rates equal to or greater than their peers. And interestingly, sexual-enhancement expectancies were more strongly linked to marijuana use in the ADHD group.

The takeaway? Young adults with ADHD may internalize different expectations, shaped perhaps by years of navigating impulsivity, social challenges, and sensation-seeking. Their "why" behind use may not mirror the broader population.

🤷 The ADHD–Conduct Disorder Cascade

A second longitudinal study (Sibley et al., 2014) followed individuals with childhood ADHD through adolescence, tracking their substance use over time. The researchers found that youth with ADHD were significantly more likely to try marijuana and escalate to heavy use after just one try. Early cigarette use and family conflict were early indicators.

What stood out most was the mechanism: growth in ADHD symptoms led to escalating conduct disorder symptoms, which then predicted marijuana use. In essence, marijuana use wasn't a random event—it was a downstream effect of developmental difficulties left unaddressed.

🧬 Cannabis and the Brain: Myth and Mystery

Is cannabis cognitively harmful for individuals with ADHD? The evidence is surprisingly mixed.

A 2013 study (Tamm et al.) comparing ADHD young adults who used cannabis regularly with those who didn’t find no significant cognitive harm linked solely to cannabis. Instead, it was the ADHD diagnosis itself that explained deficits in working memory, processing speed, and inhibition.

However, early onset of cannabis use (before age 16) was linked to poorer outcomes. ADHD youth were more likely to start early, hinting at a compound risk.

🧠 Cannabis: Remedy or Risk?

In online forums, many individuals claim cannabis helps their ADHD. A 2016 qualitative analysis (Mitchell et al.) found that 25% of ADHD forum posts framed cannabis as therapeutic. This is in stark contrast to clinical guidance, which lacks strong support for this claim.

And yet, in an intriguing single case report (Strohbeck-Kuehner et al., 2008), a man with ADHD showed improved driving performance and behavior while under the influence of THC. Could this be an anomaly or a signal of under-researched potential? Either way, it calls for caution, not conclusions.

🌱 Moving Forward: Insight Over Assumption

The intersections between ADHD and marijuana use are rich with complexity:

  • Expectancies may guide behavior more than we assume

  • ADHD symptom development influences substance trajectories

  • Cognitive risk is mediated by age of onset more than use itself

As coaches, clinicians, and caregivers, we must ask better questions. Not just "Does this person use marijuana?" but "What do they expect it to do for them?" Behind every decision is a belief. And behind every belief, often, a need.

May we guide not with judgment, but with understanding.

Previous
Previous

ADHD and College 🎓

Next
Next

Why You Might Want to Limit Caffeine While Taking ADHD Medications