Weed smoking help ADHD?

[Sincerely Yours ♥]

Well, my boyfriend has been smoking weed for the past couple of years & he's been cutting back for me since he knows I hate it. He's had trouble sticking to it & his reasoning is that it helps his ADHD. Like he says people have told him that since he started smoking, he's easier to be around & he's more lively. He also says it helps him calm down. It's not that I don't believe him, but I'm worried that if he can't at least cut back now, he'll ever be able to quit. Sadly, I've experienced how sad & miserable he seems when he hasn't smoked in a while. Basically, I'm just wondering if maybe weed does really help with ADHD? Any thoughts on this? I'm tired of fighting him on this & I'm wondering if I should cut him some slack.

[vert_igo]

I have ADHD and am medicated for it. The medication tends to backfire and has a lot of undesireable side-effects.

Weed on the other hand, has always kind of underwhelmed me. Mostly because the act of smoking weed and then sitting around and doing nothing with your friends who are all stoned out of their minds bores me. Could be the ADHD, though. I do feel the high, and I DO notice that it makes me focus very well. My attention span is so bad that I literally cannot sit through a movie unless I'm multi-tasking and doing something else during it, weed will make me sit still and pay attention to one thing at a time.

That being said, it sounds like he's growing dependent on it. I know people say that "you can't get addicted", but you absolutely can - and people get emotionally dependent on pot and I know a lot of people who absolutely refuse to go a day without smoking. I know someone who spent 800 dollars worth of grocery money his parents have given him for the semester on weed. I think he's an extreme case, though, because he was telling me that he can't cope with things unless he's high, he'd rather have pot than a relationship, etc., etc. Personally, I think happiness comes from within, and that the strongest and most interesting people do not need to rely on outside substances to determine their quality of life or make things less boring. I'm saying this as someone who is addicted to prescriptions, of course, so it's kind of hypocritical - but I have learned that doing something simply because "life is better while your on it" is the weaker decision.

Personally, I don't have a problem with pot smokers. Lots of my friends do it, I do on occasion(I can never bring myself to spend money on it), and I know many well-educated people, including several of my roommates - who are in medical school, pursuing masters degrees, and very academically inclined people in general smoke regularly. They all deal with it fine, do not rely on it, and can go without it. It's used to enhance an experience, or therapeutically. However, if it bothers you, it bothers you! You shouldn't have to change your stance on that, and I think it's perfectly reasonable to sit down and talk to him about it and maybe address that you're concerned that he's dependent on it. If you want him to take a break from it, ask him, he should care about you enough to at least try and smoke less.

Believe me, ADHD can make things a bit tougher if it's severe and you're unmedicated - but it's very possible to live a perfectly normal life without medication, and it's not unreasonable for you to ask him to cut back - it's not like he's dealing with chronic pain, or you're asking him to stop a medication that is vital to his health and ability to lead a normal life.

[Sincerely Yours ♥]

Originally Posted by vert_igo

I have ADHD and am medicated for it. The medication tends to backfire and has a lot of undesireable side-effects.

Weed on the other hand, has always kind of underwhelmed me. Mostly because the act of smoking weed and then sitting around and doing nothing with your friends who are all stoned out of their minds bores me. Could be the ADHD, though. I do feel the high, and I DO notice that it makes me focus very well. My attention span is so bad that I literally cannot sit through a movie unless I'm multi-tasking and doing something else during it, weed will make me sit still and pay attention to one thing at a time.

That being said, it sounds like he's growing dependent on it. I know people say that "you can't get addicted", but you absolutely can - and people get emotionally dependent on pot and I know a lot of people who absolutely refuse to go a day without smoking. I know someone who spent 800 dollars worth of grocery money his parents have given him for the semester on weed. I think he's an extreme case, though, because he was telling me that he can't cope with things unless he's high, he'd rather have pot than a relationship, etc., etc. Personally, I think happiness comes from within, and that the strongest and most interesting people do not need to rely on outside substances to determine their quality of life or make things less boring. I'm saying this as someone who is addicted to prescriptions, of course, so it's kind of hypocritical - but I have learned that doing something simply because "life is better while your on it" is the weaker decision.

Personally, I don't have a problem with pot smokers. Lots of my friends do it, I do on occasion(I can never bring myself to spend money on it), and I know many well-educated people, including several of my roommates - who are in medical school, pursuing masters degrees, and very academically inclined people in general smoke regularly. They all deal with it fine, do not rely on it, and can go without it. It's used to enhance an experience, or therapeutically. However, if it bothers you, it bothers you! You shouldn't have to change your stance on that, and I think it's perfectly reasonable to sit down and talk to him about it and maybe address that you're concerned that he's dependent on it. If you want him to take a break from it, ask him, he should care about you enough to at least try and smoke less.

Believe me, ADHD can make things a bit tougher if it's severe and you're unmedicated - but it's very possible to live a perfectly normal life without medication, and it's not unreasonable for you to ask him to cut back - it's not like he's dealing with chronic pain, or you're asking him to stop a medication that is vital to his health and ability to lead a normal life.

Okay that's what I thought. & To be honest, I even smoke sometimes. But I've never spent money on it & I have no problem going without it. He's doing a lot better than he was when we first met (smoking every day) & I don't mind him smoking at parties & such, but I really don't like that he has to smoke when it's just us two or he's home alone. It makes me worry that he'll never be able to fully quit. & The fact that he ignores me & smokes anyways on some days really gets to me since I'm just asking him to cut back, not quit.

But I was reading my child development book yesterday & it was talking about ADHD. It basically stated symptoms that I've gotten mad at my boyfriend for (but he can't help) & I felt bad about it. So I was wondering if weed somehow helps him with that. But if there are other ways to reach that calmness, I'm sticking with trying to make him cut back.

Honestly, I think he's just making up excuses. Like sometimes when he doesn't smoke in a week or so, he turns to alcohol or other substitutions. So I think he just has a problem he won't admit.

Thank you for your response!

[Thirteen]

Actually, marijuana has medicinal uses, and the Ontario Government (the part of Canada I'm in) acknowledges this. In fact, there are medicinal marijuana programs in place to help people who need it.

That being said, the list used to approve ADHD as a medicinal marijuana claim (since marijuana DOES help ADHD, as I've seen personally as well), but it no longer comes up as an approved use.

So, to answer your question... Marijuana CAN be used for treating ADHD, but it's still illegal for him to use if he ISN'T medicinally approved. I see you live in California, where medicinal marijuana does have some uses. So if your boyfriend really wanted to use it medicinally, he could speak to a cannabis-friendly doctor about that, though I don't know the likelihood of approval.

[Sincerely Yours ♥]

Originally Posted by Thirteen

Actually, marijuana has medicinal uses, and the Ontario Government (the part of Canada I'm in) acknowledges this. In fact, there are medicinal marijuana programs in place to help people who need it.

That being said, the list used to approve ADHD as a medicinal marijuana claim (since marijuana DOES help ADHD, as I've seen personally as well), but it no longer comes up as an approved use.

So, to answer your question... Marijuana CAN be used for treating ADHD, but it's still illegal for him to use if he ISN'T medicinally approved. I see you live in California, where medicinal marijuana does have some uses. So if your boyfriend really wanted to use it medicinally, he could speak to a cannabis-friendly doctor about that, though I don't know the likelihood of approval.

He doesn't have one (so yes, it's still illegal), but his doctor has given him the option of getting a marijuana card. Whether it's legal or not, I'm just wondering if marijuana helps him as much as he says or if he's just making up more excuses.

[Dr.Bobby]

I think the solution here is for your boyfriend to talk with his doc about his continuing ADHD symptoms, and not look to self medicate. It's difficult to tell what's going on clinically as he's mixing pot and ADHD meds, and adding a bit of rationalization for good measure. This isn't the best way of addressing an underlying problem, it would be best for him to use his recognition that he 1) Has ADHD, 2) isn't responding to the meds as he would like, and 3) Talk with his doc and get this treated properly.

Personally, I'd doubt that the marijuana actually addresses the ADHD. I think he's confusing the internal experience of being high (which he obviously enjoys) with actual performance on tasks that typically are impaired by the ADHD, like attention and concentration and focus.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by Sincerely Yours

He doesn't have one (so yes, it's still illegal), but his doctor has given him the option of getting a marijuana card. Whether it's legal or not, I'm just wondering if marijuana helps him as much as he says or if he's just making up more excuses.

Well honestly, I don't know about his personal case. However, I do have a friend (who I've known for over a decade) who has ADHD (he was diagnosed with it around the time he was 6 or so, I think). He doesn't use any ADHD medications anymore, considering they stopped being effective, and he'd have to keep going up in strengths, changing meds, etc. Now, he smokes weed to handle his ADHD, and he has 2 part-time jobs.

Marijuana can be used medicinally by some people, but then there are others who want to get high just for fun. Personally, I smoke marijuana, because it helps with my mental health issues. My boyfriend smokes marijuana, because he likes to smoke it.

Does any of this help put some perspective on it?

[Sincerely Yours ♥]

Originally Posted by Thirteen

Well honestly, I don't know about his personal case. However, I do have a friend (who I've known for over a decade) who has ADHD (he was diagnosed with it around the time he was 6 or so, I think). He doesn't use any ADHD medications anymore, considering they stopped being effective, and he'd have to keep going up in strengths, changing meds, etc. Now, he smokes weed to handle his ADHD, and he has 2 part-time jobs.

Marijuana can be used medicinally by some people, but then there are others who want to get high just for fun. Personally, I smoke marijuana, because it helps with my mental health issues. My boyfriend smokes marijuana, because he likes to smoke it.

Does any of this help put some perspective on it?

Yes, it does. Thank you I think I'll be able to figure something out now as far as how much he should cut back & his reasons behind it.

[Ryan1]

In many cases people try to self treat themselves with all sorts of illegal drugs such as weed this is not a good idea, all this does is becomes an addiction or a bad habit. If he has ADHD then a doctor should give him the proper prescription suitable for it. While people will say there are medical uses for weed treating something like ADHD isn’t one of them. Rarely do doctors prescribe medicinal marijuana unless it’s a cancer patient. In Canada it’s almost unheard of and doctors here need to be separately licensed or have some kind of ticket in order to prescribe it.

To be honest people use these drugs to cope with stress in their life. It’s just a bandied it doesn’t actually fix the problem but rather it creates another one. Many people will argue smoking weed isn’t bad. I have experience with the substance too, that’s why I’m so against it today I know the effects it had on me and my friends. Prolonged usage of marijuana does have negative effects on the brain and it does impact your memory. In my personal experience I found the drug to be addicting.

If your boyfriend has a real issue with ADHD then have him see a doctor. Unless he diagnosed himself with it. I’ve heard several people say that before just so they can ‘treat’ their illness. The only illness here is their need for the drug and the garbage they’ll feed you to believe it is another story. Don’t take advice on drug use from a drug user, the math doesn't add up that way. If you want correct facts talk with a pharmacist and they’ll be able to answer your questions. I’m not stating that marijuana doesn’t help him cope, I’m simply implying that there are better options that could possibly be cheaper, healthier and legal. TeenHelp does not support the use of illegal drugs.

Take care.

[Sincerely Yours ♥]

Originally Posted by Ryan1

In many cases people try to self treat themselves with all sorts of illegal drugs such as weed this is not a good idea, all this does is becomes an addiction or a bad habit. If he has ADHD then a doctor should give him the proper prescription suitable for it. While people will say there are medical uses for weed treating something like ADHD isn’t one of them. Rarely do doctors prescribe medicinal marijuana unless it’s a cancer patient. In Canada it’s almost unheard of and doctors here need to be separately licensed or have some kind of ticket in order to prescribe it.

To be honest people use these drugs to cope with stress in their life. It’s just a bandied it doesn’t actually fix the problem but rather it creates another one. Many people will argue smoking weed isn’t bad. I have experience with the substance too, that’s why I’m so against it today I know the effects it had on me and my friends. Prolonged usage of marijuana does have negative effects on the brain and it does impact your memory. In my personal experience I found the drug to be addicting.

If your boyfriend has a real issue with ADHD then have him see a doctor. Unless he diagnosed himself with it. I’ve heard several people say that before just so they can ‘treat’ their illness. The only illness here is their need for the drug and the garbage they’ll feed you to believe it is another story. Don’t take advice on drug use from a drug user, the math doesn't add up that way. If you want correct facts talk with a pharmacist and they’ll be able to answer your questions. I’m not stating that marijuana doesn’t help him cope, I’m simply implying that there are better options that could possibly be cheaper, healthier and legal. TeenHelp does not support the use of illegal drugs.

Take care.

This is actually exactly what I thought. Thank you!

[Acedread]

Does ADHD help it? My friends and I smoke all day everyday. One of my close buddies has mad adhd, it helps the focus but not the hyperness in my opinion, unless ya get really stoned off some indica. For those who don't know who that is, there's two different variations of weed, one is sativa which is a "heady" high, and the other is indica, which is more of a body high. Generally, sativas wake you up, indicas put you to sleep. Indicas are generally higher in THC count, which means their more potent, which increases the sleepiness and hunger you get from smokin'.

THC, the chemical in weed that gets ya high, is known to not only relieve pain from certain diseases, but actually treat and cure diseases. You'll see many cancer patients claiming they were cured by using THC, when the chemo or radiation treatments, or even SURGERY didn't help it. You won't see studies on this in America though, simply because it's illegal to use the substance in studies, but they can still find people who smoke it everyday. Marijuana might be addicting, but so are video games, sports, self-injury.

All I really gotta say is, is someone likes it, they're gonna do it. It's a free country, and we should be free to do what we want. Nothin' wrong with smoking a plant, especially one that doesn't have even HALF of the side effects of legal stuff.

[Mel14]

I find that smoking weed helps me concentrate in school and it motivates me in class. Weed is a wonderful herb and helps(medicates really) a lot of things for a lot of people.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by Ryan1

In many cases people try to self treat themselves with all sorts of illegal drugs such as weed this is not a good idea, all this does is becomes an addiction or a bad habit. If he has ADHD then a doctor should give him the proper prescription suitable for it. While people will say there are medical uses for weed treating something like ADHD isn’t one of them. Rarely do doctors prescribe medicinal marijuana unless it’s a cancer patient. In Canada it’s almost unheard of and doctors here need to be separately licensed or have some kind of ticket in order to prescribe it.

That's simply not true, about it being unheard of in Canada. I live in Ontario (same province you do), and there are Compassion Clinics (which are legal) that distribute medicinal marijuana. All you need for it, pretty much, is 1 or more illnesses on their list of things that can be treated with medicinal marijuana, and a GP willing to sign saying that they approve the use.

Saying that, I definitely agree with you that it's not the ONLY option, and even in Canada, they don't seem to recognize ADHD as a medical condition that qualifies for the Compassion Clinic (though they used to). But honestly, there ARE still, undeniably, medicinal uses for marijuana. Explain otherwise to my Anxiety (for one).

[Sincerely Yours ♥]

Originally Posted by Mel14

I find that smoking weed helps me concentrate in school and it motivates me in class. Weed is a wonderful herb and helps(medicates really) a lot of things for a lot of people.

See, I don't really see how it can help someone concentrate. From the times I've tried it, I felt like my mind was too slow to really think correctly. My boyfriend's even admitted he doesn't like smoking before school because he doesn't learn anything. That's where I find it hard to believe it really helps him with his ADHD as much as he says.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by Sincerely Yours

See, I don't really see how it can help someone concentrate. From the times I've tried it, I felt like my mind was too slow to really think correctly. My boyfriend's even admitted he doesn't like smoking before school because he doesn't learn anything. That's where I find it hard to believe it really helps him with his ADHD as much as he says.

Well if it doesn't help his ADHD in an area where it's important (i.e. School), then he's definitely not really using it for medicinal benefit, but just making excuses.

As I mentioned, I smoke it for medicinal reasons (note: I don't have a medicinal permit, but I have mental health issues that can easily qualify me, just waiting until I move out of my parents' house), and when I have it before a social situation, it calms my Anxiety. Sometimes, when I take my anti-anxiety medication late before work (it's one I can only take for work, not an everyday-type medicine), I'll smoke a bit to help calm me before the medication kicks in.

So really, if he's smoking it on his own time, and claiming it's for a medicinal use, it's most likely not. Sorry, I didn't know that bit of information, that he DIDN'T use it for any activities that would kind of make medicinal use a plausible excuse.

[Dr.Bobby]

I think the real issue here remains not so much if pot is a legit treatment for ADHD, but rather the process one goes thru in determining that. Recognizing symptoms (like ADHD) is one thing, playing doctor and self medicating with anything is quite the other, and also quite unacceptable. It's potentially dangerous, and it prevents you from getting the type of treatments that are shown to medically address the ADHD.

Pot is a recreational drug, you cannot separate the 'High" from whatever 'medicinal' uses you're quoting as a justification for using it. If Pot was a legit treatment for ADHD, they'd have figured out what component of MJ that is, removed the THC (the active part that causes the 'high') and gone thru the testing and evaluation required to market it and make money. Look at drugs like Rogaine and Viagra, both of which started out as treatments for other medical conditions.

So, what you've got here is really a thread of very convoluted excuses and high minded justifications for getting high. The fact that some claim that it "Helps" doesn't take away from the larger fact that legit treatments really do help more, because they're addressing the actual biological cause of the problem in the first place, and there's lots of science to demonstrate that. They're just not recreational or fun.

Pot is a recreational drug that provides some relief from a host of other unrelated symptoms. But symptomatic relief doesn't actually equate to effective treatment. Smoking pot really is about feeling good, not fixing an underlying problem, even if you aren't aware of the problem when you're high it remains.

[david2357]

I have ADHD. Weed worsens focus , but reduces the hyperactivity part of ADHD. So in a sense it helps that part. Tasks like math and homework are harder while stoned , while tasks like meditation and drawing(idk , i never draw) are easier.
ADHD medicines seem to help the homework and math tasks(which are hindered by inattentiveness with ADHD) , while dont seem to help the meditation and drawing tasks (which are hindered mainly by hyperactivity when you have ADHD). Weed seems to do more for the hyperactivity but doesnt help the attention span. adhd meds are stimulants, which weed is definetely not. taking a stimulant for adhd seems paradoxical to most people, they think a depressant would be better. most depressents would reduce the hyperactivity, with a few exceptions such as alcohol (which increases it due to reduced inhibition- alcohol is NOT a stimulant like most people think it is). but the depressants (depressants are drugs that slow down and calm ur mind, they are not drugs that induce depression) do not help focus. they hinder it. stimulants on the other hand increase altertness and increase inhibitions in some areas, so parents are probably better off giving their hyperactive 10 year old son a Monster Energy drink than a decaffeinated soda like Sprite. In fact, that works for me, i have a monster energy drink and my hyperactivity goes way down.

Also , adhd medicines really reduce your appetite (as in i could eat nothing all day and not feel hungry the next day). And weed can eliminate this side effect by increasing the appetite. It also eliminates the insomnia produced by adhd medications

[Ryan1]

Originally Posted by Thirteen

That's simply not true, about it being unheard of in Canada. I live in Ontario (same province you do), and there are Compassion Clinics (which are legal) that distribute medicinal marijuana. All you need for it, pretty much, is 1 or more illnesses on their list of things that can be treated with medicinal marijuana, and a GP willing to sign saying that they approve the use.

Staying on topic marijuana is not a substance which is currently used for treating ADHD patients, if you were right people would be given a prescription for the legal use of the drug which is unheard of in Canada. Doctors are aware that marijuana is a gate way drug. Marijuana is used for people with certain caners who are undergoing chemotherapy. As it stands the OP is looking for correct advice on how to help her boyfriend’s situation and you’re simply advocating the use of the drug which is illegal at this point and as we know TeenHelp does not support it.

On the other hand Dr.Bobby had great points in his post. Self treatment of any kind is only going to lead to an addiction or a bad habit, regardless of what you'd like to call it dependence on a substance is not a good thing especially when a doctor isn’t monitoring your intake. Prescription drugs can be abused it boils down to the user.

Barbara I feel it’s necessary for me to closed your thread now because there are a lot of marijuana advocates that seemingly think pot cures everything, the use of the drug which at this point is illegal isn’t appropriate for correcting ADHD. This thread has got me interested in the topic so I’ve gone ahead and done some research . Below is an article which goes more in-depth about marijuana and the false truths about it. While marijuana isn’t a bad thing for some people it isn’t helping your boyfriend’s case in my opinion, unless it was prescribed by a doctor I would recommend finding a different method of correcting his ADHD problem.

Regarding the article below I can’t say for sure it was written by a professional but its certainly more sound advice then you’ll hear on street. So take this information with a grain of salt ultimately the best route to find the correct answer is straight from your doctor. Another idea would be to talk with a pharmacist, the line isn’t as long and they are educated in the field as well.

Click here

If you’d like your thread reopened because your question has not been answered just message me.