Cannabis for ADD/ADHD

[Gush]

This is pretty old, but I thought it was interesting. Friends of mine with "ADD" use ganja to keep cool, and they are some of the coolest people I know :smoke Posted by CN Staff on April 23, 2004 at 13:34:28 PT

Countdown with Keith Olbermann

Source: MSNBC

 

COUNTDOWN is in the home stretch now. Your preview of our No. 1 story, the war on drugs meets the war to get your kids‘ attention. Just say no to ADD and give your kid pot? A doctor explains next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

 

OLBERMANN: They are a diagnoses at near epidemic proportions for kids in this country, ADD and ADHD, attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Fair or not, they are so common as to become part of the vernacular referring to our collective short attention span and inability to focus. Don‘t mind him, he‘s got ADD.

 

According to a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, when our nation‘s doctors encounter a patient with one of these disorders, they go to right to one drug, methylphenidate. You may know it better as Ritalin. But there is a lesser known treatment, one that may in fact be more effective with fewer side effects, cannabis. You may know that better as weed, reefer, Mary Jane, marijuana.

 

Dr. Claudia Jensen is a clinical instructor at the University of Southern California and a practicing pediatrician who advocates the use of medicinal marijuana for the treatment of ADD and ADHD.

 

Dr. Jensen, good evening.

 

DR. CLAUDIA JENSEN, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE: Hi. Hello. How are you?

 

OLBERMANN: This is something you feel strongly about. You even testified before Congress a few weeks ago an the use of medical marijuana. What led you to the conclusion that this is a viable treatment for this disorder?

 

JENSEN: Well, that is what patients reported to me, so I listened to them. And I started paying attention and asking more questions when I did patient interviews. It seems to be rather consistent. They keep saying it over and over again.

 

OLBERMANN: There are parents who are no doubt thinking, as they watch this, without any kind of analysis or any kind of medical explanation or the expert testimony of a doctor who has listened to patients, that this is that it makes no senses to them, the idea that they are fighting on one front the influence, the pernicious influence of marijuana in a teenager‘s life, a kid‘s life, and yet you are here saying that this can be of enormous value in treating this rampant and life-constricting disease.

 

How do you respond to people who have the knee-jerk reaction, how could this possibly be any good?

 

JENSEN: Well, first of all, you‘re right. This is a potentially life-debilitating condition for a lot of children and adolescents. They become very angry.

 

And I think the answer to that question is that it needs to be evaluated by a physician before it‘s recommended to a child or an adolescent. And the truth is that one of the reasons that adolescents have an increasing use of cannabis, marijuana, in this country is because they‘ve been lied to. They‘ve been told that this is a very dangerous drug and that it has no benefit. And, unfortunately, that‘s not what they experience in the streets.

 

And I think it‘s more appropriate to bring it up out of the streets and into the doctor‘s offices, so that children and adolescents and parents can learn the truth, get some of the data, and look at this drug not with a reefer madness perspective, but more with a scientific and factual perspective.

 

OLBERMANN: How would you administer this to children, at what age? And I‘m presuming that the means of dispensing would be primarily those other than smoking it, am I correct?

 

JENSEN: That‘s what I primarily recommend, particularly with ADD and ADHD, because smoking marijuana has such a short duration. It only lasts an hour and a half to two hours. Plus, there‘s the stigma of the child smoking anything. But smoking pot is a difficult social issue to deal with.

 

When they ingest those cannabinoids or cannabis compounds, for example, marijuana, it lasts a lot longer. They can get all the way through the day with a single cannabis cookie or piece of toast with cannabis peanut butter in the morning before school. They don‘t have to get stoned. It‘s dose-related. But they do get the benefit of being able to focus and pay attention, not be impulsive, not be angry, be peaceful and relaxed and pay attention in school, which helps them get better grades, which is the important issue.

 

OLBERMANN: Anything would work.

 

Dr. Claudia Jensen from USC, many thanks for your time tonight.

 

JENSEN: Thank you. Thank you for your time.

 

OLBERMANN: Certainly.

 

Source: MSNBC (US Web)

Show: Countdown with Keith Olbermann

Program Date: Thursday, April 22, 2004

Copyright: 2004 MSNBC

Contact: countdown@msnbc.com

Website: http://msnbc.com/news/

 

They can get all the way through the day with a single cannabis cookie or piece of toast with cannabis peanut butter in the morning before school.

 

Mum making peanutcanbutter toast before school, now that would have been sweet

[raverspec]

Hmm....I would like to see more long term research done on this topic.

[WantDaChronic]

i have known a few people with add and adhd that have smoked pot in my time, sadly they all loved mixing it with their ritalin and have freaked out many a time :thumbdown but when its one or the other with them, i have noticed that they are alot calmer, happier and in general pay more attention and have better mental ability....

[Guest Eikel]

I think this guy needs to come back with actual data to confirm what he's saying. His argument is currently based on heresay.

 

I don't believe in the medication of children to control hyperactivity - as far as I'm concerned that's irresponsible parenting. Fair enough if the kid has MAJOR psycological issues such as Autism, but turning to drugs for "high-strung" kids is a cop-out.

 

Of course I speak as a confirmed ADHD child who was raised by an educational psycologist (Mother) who refused to dope me up when I was a kid.

 

While I can see logic in the argument MJ is less "bad" for the kid than ritalin, I don't agree that children need to be "medicated" unless exceptional psycological/neurological circumstances are involved.

 

(Probably just pissed alot of parents off there, sorry... but it's ok, I'll get my just desserts when I eventually start to pop 'em out).

[dsyfer]

Actually I couldn't agree more, I was classed as hyperactive, I don't think ADD/ADHD had been coined back then, and I also have a 6 year old that when compared to his school friends could be said to be the same way, but I have never had thoughts of drugging him down. I have however been around 3 kids that were on ritalin, they knew what time their drugs were due automatically, they would line up at pill time, really quite scary now I think about it, ritalin works on similar receptors as cocaine. I wonder how addictive it could become? Anyone here ever taken ritalin and could give comment to the discussion? Would love to hear about it.

[HighRising]

I don't think ADD is always about a lack of parental attention.

My brother apparantly has it, and I know for a fact he was never deprived of care or attention.

Like you Eikel, my mother is a teacher and refused to drug him up.

 

Like many supposed personality or behavioural disorders, I think ADD is more a set of societally unwanted personality traits rather than a genuine disorder as such. The strict framework of a typical schooling just doesn't suit every child.

 

I wonder why you rarely hear of ADD being referred to in adult cases?

[cl0n3]

<quote>I think ADD is more a set of societally unwanted personality traits rather than a genuine disorder as such.</quote>

 

spot on.

 

<quote>ritalin works on similar receptors as cocaine</quote>

 

both ritalin and dexamphetamine are both basicaly speed. they are stimulants. designed to make the kids mind one track. or in my case stop me from thinking about coding/art/politics and injustices and concerntrate on work....

 

both my father and i have been diagnosed as adult adhd. a load of bollocks if you ask me. i refuse to take the medicine. its not natural. the reason you rarely hear of it is because these people become either alcos or manic depressive later in life and are treated for an assortment of other disorders that may or may not actualy exist. or they turn into over enthusiastic sales reps!!!

 

and i do not agree that kids should be doped up on anything. except perhaps some much needed attention and rewarded with tasks they enjoy once they have completed a required task. adhd is another word for bored and frustrated kids.