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Moderate Marijuana Use Helpful in ADHD Cocaine Addicts
12.11.06|BBSNews.com

According to a study of the New York State Psychiatric Institute moderate/intermittent cannabis users were more successful than other patients in abstaining from cocaine use in a sample of 92 cocaine dependend patients diagnosed with current ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) aged 25 to 51. They participated in a clinical trial of methylphenidate for treatment of ADHD and cocaine dependence in an outpatient setting. The study investigated the effects of cannabis use on treatment retention and abstinence from cocaine.

At week 14, retention rates were 24 percent among abstainers, 57 percent among intermittent/moderate users, and 39 percent among heavy/regular users. Cannabis use also was associated with higher rates of abstinence from cocaine. Among those subjects in the study who reported using cannabis intermittently, 39 percent achieved two or more weeks of abstinence from cocaine, compared to only 26 percent of subjects who reported not using cannabis during treatment. The study was the first to assess the use of cannabis on treatment outcomes in patients diagnosed with cocaine dependence.