Alcohol And Cocaine – But Not Cannabis – Linked To Violent Behavior, Study Says

Damn, I could've told them this!! I always love these studies that they pay so much money for and when the results come out you just look and them and think, "Well duh!" They could have just conducted a survey to potheads...we're too couch-locked to be violent! :) But since so many still think Reefer Madness is actually a legitimate interpretation of what people do after smoking, I guess a study like this might be worthwhile somehow...


Alcohol And Cocaine – But Not Cannabis – Linked To Violent Behavior, Study Says

Victoria, British Columbia:

Cannabis use is not independently associated with causing violence, according to the results of a multivariate analysis to be published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Investigators at the University of Victoria, Centre for Addictions Research assessed how frequently subjects in a substance abuse treatment facility reported using cocaine, alcohol, and/or cannabis in the hours immediately prior to committing a violent act. Researchers also evaluated subjects’ personality for characteristics associated with violent behavior, such as risk-taking, impulsivity, and/or disrespect for the law.

Investigators concluded: "When analyses were conducted controlling for covariates, the frequency of alcohol and cocaine use was significantly related to violence, suggesting that pharmacological effects [of the drugs] may play a role in violence. Frequency of cannabis use, however, was not significantly related to violence when controlling for other factors."

The study’s conclusions are similar to the findings of a pair of recent government reports refuting allegations that cannabis use triggers violent behavior. The first, published by the Canadian Senate in 2002, determined: "Cannabis use does not induce users to commit other forms of crime. Cannabis use does not increase aggressiveness or anti-social behavior."

The second review, published by the British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, reported: "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.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Predicting violence among cocaine, cannabis, and alcohol treatment clients," will appear in the journal Addictive Behaviors. Additional audio commentary regarding this study is available on the August 15, 2007 broadcast of the NORML Audio Stash at: http://audio.norml.org/audio_stash/NORML_Daily_AudioStash_08_15_2007.mp3.

Life Insurance For Responsible Marijuana Smokers!

Washington, DC: The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the nation's oldest and most respected cannabis-law reform organization, today announced that life insurance is finally available for adult cannabis consumers.

NORML has partnered with The McLaughlin Company and a pair of nationally recognized insurance providers to offer life insurance products to responsible cannabis consumers. Previously, adults who self-reported using cannabis ­-- even in moderate amounts --­ were denied life insurance coverage or, at best, offered coverage at a grossly inflated premium. Starting today, cannabis consumers will have access to the same types of life insurance plans as non-users, and they will no longer be forced to pay excessively high premiums.

"Unlike cigarettes or even alcohol, moderate use of cannabis --­ even when used long-term ­-- is not shown to have significant negative ramifications on health or mortality," **

NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "As a result, responsible cannabis consumers should not be forced to pay inflated premiums or be denied insurance coverage because of their marijuana use." NORML and its partners hope to expand its life insurance program to offer cannabis-friendly disability and health insurance products later this year.

For more information, please contact NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre at (202) 483-5500 or visit: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7128.

To listen to an audio message about the NORML Life Insurance program from The McLaughlin Company's Webb Hubbell, please visit: http://audio.norml.org/audio_stash/staff_psa/webb_jazz_test_2.mp3.

** D. Vinson. 2006. Marijuana and other illicit drug use and the risk of injury: A case-control study. Missouri Medicine 103: 152-156 R. Blondell et al. 2005. Toxicology screening results: injury associations among hospitalized trauma patients. Journal of TRAUMA Injury, Infection, and Critical Care 58: 561-570 S. Sidney et al. 1997. Marijuana Use and Mortality. American Journal of Public Health 87: 1-4 Editorial: "Deglamorising Cannabis." The Lancet, Nov. 11, 1995. (346:8985).