Ganja smoking couples less violent, says study

(CNS): A new study by researchers from Yale University, University of Buffalo and Rutgers conducted over the best part of a decade has revealed that husbands and wives who frequently smoke cannabis are less likely to engage in domestic violence than those who don’t. The scientists found that couples who used cannabis three times or more each month they reported the lowest number domestic violence incidents over the first nine years of marriage. The couples completed questionnaires during the study on how often they used the drug and other substances, such as alcohol.

They were asked to report violent incidents with their spouses and the study concluded that the more coples smoked ganja, the less likely they were to be violent to each other.

Kenneth Leonard, the director of the UB Research Institute on Addictions and the lead researcher stated that the study suggests cannabis use is predictive of lower levels of aggression. The authors suggested chronic cannabis users exhibit "blunted emotional reaction to threat stimuli" which could also reduce the likelihood of aggressive behaviour.

The study was published in the online edition of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors in August.