How adult ADHD diagnosis relates to cannabis use and harms

ADHD diagnosis in adulthood: Implications for cannabis use and consequences

NIH-funded research University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11130182

This project looks at whether and how getting an ADHD diagnosis as an adult relates to patterns of cannabis use and negative consequences for adults with ADHD, with attention to differences between women and men.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Pittsburgh, United States)
Project IDNIH-11130182 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

From your perspective, researchers will follow people from adolescence into adulthood and compare those diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood to others to see how cannabis use and related problems develop. They will collect information on cannabis use, psychiatric symptoms, treatment history (including stimulant use), and functional impacts using interviews, questionnaires, and existing records. The team will pay special attention to differences between women and men to understand sex-related risk patterns. Findings aim to clarify who is at higher risk for cannabis-related harms and why.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults who have received an ADHD diagnosis (including diagnoses made in adulthood) and those who use or have used cannabis are the primary candidates, with comparisons across women and men.

Not a fit: People without ADHD or those who have never used cannabis are unlikely to receive direct benefits from this specific research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help tailor prevention and treatment strategies for cannabis problems in adults with ADHD, especially by identifying sex-specific risks.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research links ADHD to higher cannabis use, but sex-specific effects and the impact of adult ADHD diagnosis are under-studied, so this project addresses a known gap.

Where this research is happening

Pittsburgh, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.