While cannabis shows promise for tic management in adults with Tourette syndrome, using it in adolescents raises serious concerns about psychosis risk and should require exhausting standard treatments first.
Parents of teens with Tourette syndrome, neurologists, psychiatrists, and medical cannabis researchers
What the researchers found
Two feasibility studies of cannabis for adolescent Tourette syndrome readily recruited participants but did not require prior trials of standard evidence-based treatments, raising ethical concerns given cannabis-psychosis associations in youth.
Why it matters
The gap between adult evidence and adolescent safety is critical — the developing teenage brain is particularly vulnerable to cannabis-related harms, especially psychosis risk.
The numbers in context
Two feasibility studies have been published on cannabis for adolescent Tourette syndrome, with no explicit requirement for prior standard treatment trials.
How the study worked
Editorial commentary analyzing two published feasibility studies of cannabis for adolescents with Tourette syndrome, with focus on ethical and safety considerations.
What this study cannot tell us
Commentary piece rather than original research; based on analysis of only two feasibility studies.
How to read the evidence
Expert editorial commentary with limited underlying evidence from two small feasibility studies, no controlled efficacy data in adolescents.
When this study was published
Published in 2026, reflecting the current state of an emerging but cautionary area of pediatric cannabinoid research.
The bigger picture
This reflects a broader tension in cannabinoid medicine: promising adult results don't automatically translate to safe adolescent use, and research protocols must account for developmental neurotoxicity risks.
Questions still open
- Should cannabis trials in adolescents require failure of standard treatments first? How should psychosis risk be monitored in adolescent cannabis studies?
Common questions
Does cannabis help with Tourette syndrome tics?
Why is cannabis use riskier for teenagers?
Read the original research
Investigating medical cannabis for adolescents with Tourette syndrome: tread carefully.
BJPsych open, 12(1), e45
Citation
Abi-Jaoude, Elia. (2026). Investigating medical cannabis for adolescents with Tourette syndrome: tread carefully.. BJPsych open, 12(1), e45. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2025.10959
Explore the wider topic
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- My Kid Is Smoking Weed: A Parent's Guide
- Cannabis and Tourette's Syndrome: Tic Reduction and Quality of Life