ArticlePloS one2016
"I Use Weed for My ADHD": A Qualitative Analysis of Online Forum Discussions on Cannabis Use and ADHD.
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Self-medication of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms with psychoactive substances in adults: a scoping review of how symptom-relief motives are framed and operationalised across substances.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Medicinal cannabis for psychiatric disorders: a clinically-focused systematic review.BMC psychiatry · 2020Pooled it
- Cannabis Use in Adults Who Screen Positive for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: CANreduce 2.0 Randomized Controlled Trial Subgroup Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Trial
- Mixed-amphetamine salts increase abstinence from marijuana in patients with co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and cocaine dependence.The American journal on addictions · 2016Trial
- ADHD Symptoms and Cannabis Use: The Role of Cannabinoid Receptor 1 and Neural Response Inhibition.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- A naturalistic examination of the effects of chronic and acute cannabis use on cognition and perceived symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Cannabinoids and ADHD: a New Frontier in Neuropharmacology?Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN · 2025Review
- ADHD Symptoms and Medical Cannabis Use Among Adults With Chronic Pain.Journal of attention disorders · 2025Article
- Reconceptualizing cannabis use risks in the context of health and social inequities: Insights from a qualitative study with young people in Canada.The International journal on drug policy · 2025Article
- The effects of cannabis on mind-wandering.Heliyon · 2025Article
- Understanding the Relationships between ADHD Symptoms and Cannabis-Related Consequences among Young Adults.Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.) · 2025Article
- ADHD and Cannabis Use in College Students: Examining Indirect Effects of Coping Motives.Substance use & misuse · 2025Article
- "I Had No Idea about This:" A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Sexual Health and HIV Prevention Needs among Black Youth in a Southern City.Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Cannabinoids in the Treatment of Selected Mental Illnesses: Practical Approach and Overview of the Literature.Pharmacopsychiatry · 2024Review
- Cannabis use and its association with psychopathological symptoms in a Swiss adult population: a cross-sectional analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Review
- Exploring the Behavior of Users With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder on Twitter: Comparative Analysis of Tweet Content and User Interactions.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Exploring the Link Between Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Cannabis Use Disorders: A Review.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2023Review
- Medicinal Cannabis for Paediatric Developmental, Behavioural and Mental Health Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Using Social Media Data to Investigate Public Perceptions of Cannabis as a Medicine: Narrative Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk factor for problematic cannabis use. However, clinical and anecdotal evidence suggest an increasingly popular perception that cannabis is therapeutic for ADHD, including via online resources. Given that the Internet is increasingly utilized as a source of healthcare information and may influence perceptions, we conducted a qualitative analysis of online forum discussions, also referred to as threads, on the effects of cannabis on ADHD to systematically characterize the content patients and caregivers may encounter about ADHD and cannabis.
methodsA total of 268 separate forum threads were identified. Twenty percent (20%) were randomly selected, which yielded 55 separate forum threads (mean number of individual posts per forum thread = 17.53) scored by three raters (Cohen's kappa = 0.74). A final sample of 401 posts in these forum threads received at least one endorsement on predetermined topics following qualitative coding procedures.
resultsTwenty-five (25%) percent of individual posts indicated that cannabis is therapeutic for ADHD, as opposed to 8% that it is harmful, 5% that it is both therapeutic and harmful, and 2% that it has no effect on ADHD. This pattern was generally consistent when the year of each post was considered. The greater endorsement of therapeutic versus harmful effects of cannabis did not generalize to mood, other (non-ADHD) psychiatric conditions, or overall domains of daily life. Additional themes emerged (e.g., cannabis being considered sanctioned by healthcare providers).
conclusionsDespite that there are no clinical recommendations or systematic research supporting the beneficial effects of cannabis use for ADHD, online discussions indicate that cannabis is considered therapeutic for ADHD-this is the first study to identify such a trend. This type of online information could shape ADHD patient and caregiver perceptions, and influence cannabis use and clinical care.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.