Advocates for marijuana as an ADHD treatment say the drug can help people with the disorder handle some of the more severe symptoms. These include agitation, irritability, and lack of restraint.

They also say that marijuana has fewer side effects than traditional ADHD medications.

Read more about what research has discovered about the use of marijuana in individuals with ADHD.

Online health forums are filled with comments from people saying they use marijuana to treat symptoms of ADHD.

Likewise, individuals who identify as having ADD say they have few or no additional issues with marijuana use. But they aren’t presenting the research on adolescent use of marijuana. There are concerns for the developing brain’s learning and memory.

“Many adolescents and adults with ADHD are convinced that cannabis does help them and has fewer side effects [than ADD medications],” says Jack McCue, MD, FACP, an author, physician, and emeritus professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “It may be that they, not their doctors, are correct.”

Dr. McCue says he’s seen patients who report classic marijuana use effects and benefits. They report intoxication (or being “high”), appetite stimulation, help with sleeping or anxiety, and pain relief, for example.

Dr. McCue says these people sometimes report effects that are often seen with typical ADHD treatments, too.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is also promoted as a helpful treatment for individuals with ADHD.

CBD is found in marijuana and hemp. Unlike marijuana, CBD doesn’t contain the psychoactive element tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). That means CBD doesn’t produce a “high” the way marijuana does.