Cannabinoids Rather Than Ritalin for Children?

Treating Yourself, a medical marijuana journal for patients by patients, in a recent article posses several questions, one of the most obvious being: how could anybody give psychostimulants (like Ritalin and Adderall), amphetamines and methamphetamines, to children?

In their article, “Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children!” Treating Yourself takes a close look at the comparisons between Marinol, the ‘marijuana pill’, and Adderall.  In a side-by-side analysis, it seems obvious that amphetamines are not the preferred choice of medication.  From side effects to efficacy to toll on the body, the ‘future of ADHD treatment… may start to move away from pharmacological intervention as a tier one treatment… only being used for the most severe treatment resistant cases.’

They conclude that ‘…the future of cannabinoid/endocannabinoid manipulation therapy… exists substantial evidence to back the anecdotal claims of the hoards of cannabis-using ADHDers for whom cannabis appears to offer symptomatic relief and improvements in quality of life.”