I just heard on the radio that kids who use marijuana are more likely to be involved in violence (I assume than those who don't). Is that right?

Was it on a factual station, or on Limbaugh or Fox News? That makes a difference.

I doubt the theory. Marijuana tends to be a mellowing influence. Not a violent influence. *Unlike alcohol).

I’d want to see the research before I decided if this were true. On hot button topics like this, there’s a lot of falsehood being masqueraded as fact.

(Note: violence among traffickers (drug sellers) is different than violence among users. What did the story identify?)

No, it was a promo on a Public Access radio. Not really sure what they were on about, It was talking about how kids need your influence to keep off drugs.

It is just background noise really.

@elbanditoroso Perhaps that was what they were getting at. I am sure you remember your moms advice about running with the “wrong crowd”.

It is coming out of The Office of National Drug Control Policy and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. However, the reports seem to lump all drug use into a connection with violence. And the studies don’t seem to discriminate between states where pot is legal and states where marijuana is still illegal.

I strongly disagree. Not marijuana by itself. In conjunction with harder drugs, yeah. Quite possible.

Sounds like someone is trying to link correlations with causations.

I think some teens who have access to marijuana are likely predisposed to violence for reasons unrelated to marijuana use.

In the 50’s they were convinced it was super dangerous! Attack of the Killer Weed. They showed it to us in elementary school in the 60’s. I can’t find it though.

By the 70’s we were giggling too much to be convinced it would hurt us. Wildwood Weed.

In states where it’s illegal, the distribution chain may include gangs, so you’d be more likely to be associated with violent criminals.

That’s speculation, I’m not saying it’s true. But it’s a possible way that the numbers could be true.

The actual usage of marijuana is not what causes the violence. There are people who think so many things they have heard about it. I have heard that it makes you dumb, nope. I have heard that it is a gateway drug, nope. I have heard that it is addictive, nope. I know this b/c of personal experience. I have a GPA of 3.41, I have never used nor had the desire to use harder things “to get to the next level,” and I have never found myself craving it to the point that I wanted to die if I couldn’t get it. That being said, the violence issue is not related to the marijuana itself but there are some people who smoke weed and are part of the criminal element. For me though about the only violent thing I do is eat a whole bag of crunchy cheetos and shake the bag violently to get the crumbs out.

I have done a lot of drugs. And so have my friends.

One a scale of wanting violence due to the use of drugs.

Weed -80
Ecstasy -69
LSD -10
Beer +40
Cocaine +100

I have smoked a ton of weed and never felt violent. On Coke I feel invincible and will elbow a fuck walking next to me that I think is looking at me wrong.