Couples Who Smoke Pot Together Stay ... Chill

Researchers say it's especially true when both spouses partake
By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2014 6:43 AM CDT
Updated Aug 31, 2014 3:18 PM CDT
Couples Who Smoke Pot Together Stay ... Chill
In this Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, photo, a young couple trades off smoking out of a mask bong on the final day of Hempfest, Seattle's annual gathering to advocate the decriminalization of marijuana.   (AP Photo/seattlepi.com, Jordan Stead)

It isn't called a peace pipe for nothing. New research backs up what most people would have probably guessed—that married couples who smoke pot tend to be less violent than those who don't, and that this is especially true when both partners toke up. In a study of 634 couples over a nine-year period, researchers at the University of Buffalo write in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors that more frequent marijuana use (at least two to three times a month) predicts less frequent violence, and that even a husband who uses marijuana predicts less violence from the wife.

The study did not, however, look into whether marijuana use on a particular day impacts violence on that day—in other words, whether actually being stoned influences behavior. "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 ... conflict," one researcher says. They plan to investigate day-to-day use and behaviors before drawing "stronger" conclusions. (Earlier this summer, one man actually used 3-foot pot plants to attack his brother.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X