Study: Couples who smoke marijuana less likely to be violent with each other

MANILA, Philippines - Researchers at the University at Buffalo have discovered an association between violence and marijuana, but unlike what most people think, the association is not as terrible as you expect. The controversial research found out that couples who smoke marijuana together are less likely to be violent toward one another within a year period.

The researchers studied 634 couples over their first nine years, starting in 1996. The couples were asked to complete questionnaires throughout the study, which included questions such as how often do they use marijuana, how frequent do they drink alcohol and the instances of physical violence toward their spouses.

The researchers have found out that couples who use the drug around three times a week or more each month were less likely to show aggression toward their partner in the future.

Lead researcher Kenneth Leonard, director of the UB Research Institute on Addictions, noted factors that contribute to the link between couples who use marijuana and lower rates of domestic violence.

He said, “chronic marijuana users exhibit blunted emotional reaction to threat stimuli, which may also decrease the likelihood of aggressive behavior.”

He also added that couples who use marijuana together may share similar values and social circles, which diminishes that possibility of engaging in conflict or arguments between the couples.

Although findings suggest that marijuana use is predictive of lower levels of aggression, Leonard emphasized that the findings are only over the course of a year. “It does not examine whether using marijuana on a given day reduces the likelihood of violence at that time,” he said.