Marijuana-Smoking Couples Less Likely to Engage in Domestic Violence

Couples who smoke marijuana are less likely to engage in domestic violence, a new study suggests.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions and Research Institute on Addictions (RIA). Around 634 couples participated in the study.

The researchers found that couples - in which both husband and wife - smoked marijuana had lowest rate of intimate partner violence.

"These findings suggest that marijuana use is predictive of lower levels of aggression towards one's partner in the following year." said Kenneth Leonard, PhD, director of the UB Research Institute on Addictions. "As in other survey studies of marijuana and partner violence, our study examines patterns of marijuana use and the occurrence of violence within a year period. It does not examine whether using marijuana on a given day reduces the likelihood of violence at that time."

For the study, the researchers obtained information about the first nine years of marriage of the participants enrolled in the study. The team found that couples with high rate of marijuana consumption had lower risk of domestic violence.

The team doesn't recommend people to start smoking pot to keep their marriage healthy. There are several explanations for the link between marijuana-use and lower partner violence.

"It is possible, for example, that-similar to a drinking partnership-couples who use marijuana together may share similar values and social circles, and it is this similarity that is responsible for reducing the likelihood of conflict," said Leonard in a news release.

The researchers said that additional studies are required to find a link between pot-smoking and domestic violence.

The study is published in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. It was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and others.