December 14, 2009 — In California, the state with the nation’s most permissive medical marijuana law, several doctors say that some children with attention deficit hyperacitivty disorder, or ADHD, are being treated with marijuana — a fact that has sparked a heated debate.

Reliable figures on the use of marijuana to treat ADHD are hard to come by, as reported by The New York Times. Though California says it has issued more than 36,000 medical marijuana cards since 2004, the state does not compile statistics on prescriptions for specific conditions, such as ADHD. And many doctors and patients are reluctant to talk about it. Still, experts say such prescriptions are becoming more common as the number of pot dispensaries and doctors prescribing marijuana continues to grow.

And not everyone is happy about it.

“Let me count the ways in which prescribing marijuana for teens with ADHD is a bad idea,” said Stephen Hinshaw, professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley. Marijuana, Hinshaw said, is a “cognitive disorganizer” that produces roughly the same effect in users as those associated with ADHD.

“The active ingredient in pot, THC, causes short-term memory problems and inattention,” Hinshaw said, “the very same things you want a medicine for ADHD to help alleviate.”

Since marijuana has not been put through the FDA approval process, very few reliable studies have been conducted to show how it may affect ADHD, Hinshaw said.

But if the idea of prescribing pot to minors seems counterintuitive, it might be worth considering that Ritalin and Aderall, two of the most commonly prescribed medications for ADHD, are essentially amphetamines. And Hinshaw said hundreds of studies show that in low dosages, amphetamines are an effective treatment for ADHD.

“I’d have no hesitation of giving a youngster with ADHD a trial of oral marijuana,” said Lester Grinspoon, emeritus professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the author of “Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine.”

“For some kids, it appears to be more effective than traditional treatments. And marijuana certainly has fewer potential dangers than Ritalin.”

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, children with ADHD show a variety of hyperactive symptoms, including difficulty concentrating or following directions, being easily distracted and increased hyperactivity or fidgeting.

Roughly 4.5 million American children have been diagnosed with ADHD, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, but scientists are unsure what causes the condition.

“My son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 6,” a Grass Valley, Calif., woman who wished to remain anonymous told Sphere. “He was hyperactive and had trouble in school, but we didn’t want to put him on Ritalin. Too many side effects. When he got to high school, I suddenly noticed that he’d calmed and could concentrate. I couldn’t figure it out. Then he told me that he’d started smoking pot.”

Now 28, her son still smokes pot, the woman says, and has very little problem with his ADHD.

While Grinspoon concedes that the evidence of marijuana’s effectiveness in treating conditions such as ADHD is mostly anecdotal, he believes that practitioners would be wise to start listening to the everyday experiences of their patients. “It has been hard to collect hard data because the federal government has, for so long, said, no, marijuana is not a (legal) drug.”

Hinshaw is intrigued by success stories of patients treating ADHD with marijuana, but he cautions against euphoria in the absence of data. “People with ADHD are terrible at self-reporting; that’s one of the things that characterizes the condition. Still, this is worth looking into. Any hypothesis that adheres to the proper ethical limits is worth investigating.”

At Harborside Health Center in Oakland, for instance, a doctor’s recommendation for marijuana is verified with the physician, then the medical board is consulted to make sure the doctor is in good standing. In the case of minors, only a parent or guardian is allowed to enter the dispensary.

As for the future of treating ADHD in kids with marijuana, Grinspoon said he’s optimistic. “In the long run, I think it will prove to be a wonder drug, and a less toxic one at that.” Source.

June 10th, 2009 – (MOLALLA, Ore.) – It has been known for at least 2,000 years that Marijuana/Cannabis is a psychotropic that affects the brain and central nervous system. (The Scythians) The first western references seem to be that it was a euphoric, in other words a central nervous system stimulant not like cocaine or amphetamines but a gentler pleasant stimulant.

Dr. W.B. O’Shaunessy Medical Marijuana Feb-21-2008) found it to be an anti-convulsant against Tetanus, which may seem to cloud the issue. It is also a good anti-epileptic and centrally acting analgesic even effective for migraines as well as an anti-depressant and anxiolytic.

Dr. Tod Mikuriya has written that it promotes homeostasis or normalization of function in many various systems of the body and also modulates or moderates emotional hyperactivity such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, often known simply as PTSD.

I had heard or read about California marijuana doctors reporting that it was effective for the treatment of ADD and autism. These were single or isolated reports because physicians seemed to be reluctant to even talk about what the U.S. government constantly bleats about a “dangerous addicting drug”, marijuana.

Dr. Mikuriya reported in 2006 in O’Shaunessy marijuana magazine that a 15-year old child was brought to him by his mother. He had been diagnosed with ADD and psychoses and had been given over 30 different kinds of drugs including pulverized kitchen sink, most of which made him combative and worse. He had used marijuana at age 11 with older friends.

It had a calming effect but his use brought police action and three court ordered rehabs which really drove him crazy. His mother found Dr. Mikuriya who prescribed Marinol which worked. A judge would not let him use it, but a second judge did allow it and he got a marijuana permit and smoked it with dramatic improved results.

I decided a search of the Internet was advisable and I typed up marijuana autism with the surprising finding that the Autism Research Institute posted an article by Bernard Rinland Ph.D. Medical Marijuana: a valuable treatment for autism in 2003. The site discussed a letter from a mother of a violently autistic child. A friend suggested a marijuana brownie cookie which in the words of the mother “saved my child’s life and my family’s life.”

The article continues to state that many parents in the same situation have reported marked success.

A second article from the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis (AAMC) in 2002 written by Jay R. Cavanaugh Ph.D. titled Medical Cannabis and Brain Disorders reported effective use as follows: Bipolar disease (81 patients or 20%) ADHD/ADD (53 patients or 13%) Multiple Sclerosis (32 patients or 8%) and neuropathy (35 patients or 9%).

Other interesting findings were PTSD (30 patients at 7%) and obsessive compulsive disorder (2.4 or 6%). They also reported successful treatment of Tourettes, Parkinson’s, and Autism (10 patients or 2%)

It is time we got our medical dinosaurs M.D.S. out of the closet and educated to the marvelous benefits of this safe effective NEW-OLD medicine.

Source.