Latest research link cannabis use and lower risk of domestic violence among married stoners.
Researchers from Yale University, University of Buffalo and Rutgers recruited 634 couples, in a study, from 1996 to 1999 where couples were inducted as they were applying for a marriage license in New York State.
After an initial briefing, the researchers followed the couples for nine years using analytically mail-in surveys to measure the effects of marijuana use on intimate partner violence (IPV) or more commonly known in South Africa as domestic violence.
The study defines IPV as acts of physical aggression, such as slapping, hitting, beating and choking, and it was measured by asking couples to report violence committed by them or toward them in the last year.
37.1 percent of husbands had committed acts of domestic violence, at the end of the first year.
Cannabis use was estimated by questionnaire, participants were required to answer as to how often they used cannabis or hashish (defined as pot, weed, reefer, hash, hash oil or grass) in the last year. The married couples were also asked about other drug use including alcohol, because, as the researchers explain the study, alcohol and cannabis are often used in conjunction.
The researchers were astonished to find their premise disproved. They had expected cannabis would have similar effects in increasing risk of domestic violence as other drugs like alcohol. But that was not the case.
What they found, over the span of 9 years into the couples marriage’a, was that more frequent use of dagga predicted less domestic violence for both women and men. In cases were both partners were users of dagga, the daggafarian couples had the lowest risk of domestic violence.
“Her father is abusive to her mother and other siblings due to dagga and alcohol. Her mother also took to drinking and this meant no food in the house since” – GatewayNews
It saddens me that any child should grow up with irresponsible alcoholic parents but isn’t it time we look at the latest scientific research on the subject of cannabis and stop blaming vices for the irresponsible choices people make.
Stop stigmatising dagga as a sin while you know people are being sent to prison for being in possession of a herb that is much safer than alcohol and tobacco.
The latest scientific research on cannabis disproves all the propaganda we believed for the last 100 years.
Stop domestic violence and build a bright future on a legal, regulated dagga industry.
“We call on our community to rather use dagga, instead of abusing alcohol, if they have the need to intoxicate themselves. Dagga smokers are known to be placid, peaceful and happy people, who are never involved in violence. Although it might be illegal, it remains a natural plant and does not cause the extensive harm alcohol, which is legal, does,” – Kimberley community pleads dagga to curb domestic violence
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Featured Image: The Happy Harvey Marijuana Family: Larry Harvey, 70; his wife, Rhonda Firestack-Harvey, 55; their son Rolland Gregg, 33; daughter-in-law Michelle Gregg, 35; and family friend Jason Zucker, 38 – Source: Medical Marijuana Patients Can’t Bring Up Drug’s Medical Use In Federal Trial