Washington, DC: Allegations published in the current issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry stating that “the use of cannabis is … strongly associated with delinquent and aggressive behavior” are a cynical attempt to falsely imply that marijuana is a causal factor in violent behavior and are not supported by the scientific record, said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre.
“No credible research has shown cannabis to be a contributory factor in violence, aggression or delinquent behavior, dating back to United States government’s ‘First Report of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse’ in 1972, which concluded, ‘In short, marijuana is not generally viewed by participants in the criminal justice community as a major contributing influence in the commission of delinquent or criminal acts,'” St. Pierre said.
More recent scientific reviews affirm this conclusion. For example, a 2002 inquiry by the Canadian Senate found: “Cannabis use does not induce users to commit other forms of crime. Cannabis use does not increase aggressiveness or anti-social behavior.”
A 2002 report by the British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs also concluded, “Cannabis differs from alcohol in one major respect. It does not seem to increase risk-taking behavior. This means that cannabis rarely contributes to violence either to others or to oneself, whereas alcohol use is a major factor in deliberate self-harm, domestic accidents and violence.”
Most recently, a logistical regression analysis of approximately 900 trauma patients published in the Journal of TRAUMA Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, determined that the use of cannabis is not independently associated with either violent or non-violent injuries requiring hospitalization. By contrast, alcohol and cocaine use are associated with violence-related injuries, the study found.
Clinical trials during which volunteers are administered marijuana also fail to demonstrate that cannabis intoxication increases hostility in a competitive setting, said NORML advisory board member Mitch Earleywine, author of Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence.
Earleywine said that a forthcoming study investigating aggressive behavior among 4,700 long-time adult concomitant marijuana and alcohol users finds, “Marijuana use does not lead to aggressive behavior in adults, even among frequent, long-time users.” That study is now under review by the journal Aggressive Behaviors.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.