Medical Cannabis Did Not Improve ADHD Symptoms in People With Chronic Pain
In a 12-month study of adults with chronic pain, medical cannabis use was not associated with changes in ADHD symptoms overall, though high-THC products showed a small benefit in those with minimal baseline ADHD symptoms.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Medical cannabis use was not associated with changes in ADHD symptoms in the full sample or among those with moderate/severe baseline ADHD symptoms. Among the subgroup with minor/no baseline ADHD symptoms, high-THC medical cannabis was associated with a small decrease in ADHD symptoms compared to low-THC products.
Key Numbers
N=223. 12-month follow-up with quarterly assessments. No significant association between MC use and ADHD symptom change in full sample or moderate/severe ADHD subgroup. Small decrease in ADHD symptoms with high-THC (vs. low-THC) MC only in those with minor/no baseline symptoms.
How They Did This
Longitudinal cohort study of 223 adults with chronic pain followed for 12 months with quarterly assessments. Mixed-effects linear regression tested associations between medical cannabis use (and THC level) and change in ADHD symptoms, stratified by baseline ADHD severity and pain catastrophizing.
Why This Research Matters
Social media and patient anecdotes have driven interest in cannabis as an ADHD treatment. This study provides longitudinal evidence that cannabis does not improve ADHD symptoms in people who actually have them, countering a popular but unsupported narrative.
The Bigger Picture
The null finding for people with actual ADHD symptoms is important because it contradicts widespread anecdotal claims. The small positive finding in people without ADHD symptoms may reflect general effects of THC on attention or focus rather than a specific ADHD benefit.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
All participants had chronic pain, limiting generalizability to ADHD populations without pain. Small sample size reduces power to detect modest effects. Observational design cannot rule out confounders. Cannabis products and doses were not standardized.
Questions This Raises
- ?Whether the small benefit in mild-symptom participants reflects genuine cognitive effects of THC or statistical noise
- ?How these findings would change in a sample of people with diagnosed ADHD but no chronic pain
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Longitudinal design with repeated measures is a strength, but small sample, chronic pain comorbidity, and observational design limit the conclusions.
- Study Age:
- Published 2025.
- Original Title:
- ADHD Symptoms and Medical Cannabis Use Among Adults With Chronic Pain.
- Published In:
- Journal of attention disorders, 29(9), 757-765 (2025)
- Authors:
- Saunders, David, Slawek, Deepika, Zhang, Chenshu(3), Sohler, Nancy, Cunningham, Chinazo, Minami, Haruka, Starrels, Joanna, Arnsten, Julia, Levin, Frances
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07581
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does this prove cannabis does not help ADHD?
It does not prove it definitively, but it adds to a pattern of null findings. The study found no benefit for people with actual ADHD symptoms, which is consistent with the limited clinical evidence available.
Why do some people with ADHD feel cannabis helps them?
Cannabis can reduce anxiety and increase present-moment focus, which some people interpret as ADHD improvement. However, these subjective effects may not translate into measurable changes on validated ADHD symptom scales, and chronic use may worsen executive function over time.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07581APA
Saunders, David; Slawek, Deepika; Zhang, Chenshu; Sohler, Nancy; Cunningham, Chinazo; Minami, Haruka; Starrels, Joanna; Arnsten, Julia; Levin, Frances. (2025). ADHD Symptoms and Medical Cannabis Use Among Adults With Chronic Pain.. Journal of attention disorders, 29(9), 757-765. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251336841
MLA
Saunders, David, et al. "ADHD Symptoms and Medical Cannabis Use Among Adults With Chronic Pain.." Journal of attention disorders, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251336841
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "ADHD Symptoms and Medical Cannabis Use Among Adults With Chr..." RTHC-07581. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/saunders-2025-adhd-symptoms-and-medical
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.