A fact that I use often when debating someone about marijuana reform is that alcohol increases violent behavior, while marijuana does not. I have heard multiple retired cops point out that they have gone to many scenes where violence was fueled by alcohol, but have never reported to a scene where someone smoked marijuana and all of a sudden became violent. Everyone that I know that consumes marijuana is much more relaxed afterwards, whereas even the most docile person can get ramped up when they have had too much to drink.
According to a new study that was recently released, marijuana use between intimate partners can lower the risk of domestic violence. Per High Times:
Investigators at Yale University, Rutgers, and the University of Buffalo assessed over 600 couples to determine whether husbands’ and wives’ pot use was predictive of domestic abuse at any time during the first nine years of marriage. Researchers reported: “In fully adjusted models, we found that more frequent marijuana use by husbands and wives predicted less frequent IPV (intimate partner violence) perpetration by husbands. Husbands’ marijuana use also predicted less frequent IPV perpetration by wives. Moderation analyses demonstrated that couples in which both spouses used marijuana frequently reported the least frequent IPV perpetration.”
If you know someone that consumes alcohol, yet thinks marijuana should remain illegal, offer up this study. Domestic violence is a horrible thing, and anything that reduces domestic violence should be embraced. I’m very curious to see how Kevin Sabet tries to spin yet another study that makes his job even harder than it already is.
