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Marijuana and violence: How much more evidence do we need of the connection?

by Scott Chipman, opinion contributor - 10/27/26 7:30 AM ET

by Scott Chipman, opinion contributor - 10/27/26 7:30 AM ET

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For decades, marijuana advocates have promoted the image of a harmless drug producing relaxation, laughter, and peaceful behavior. That image has helped normalize marijuana use and fuel a multibillion-dollar commercial industry.

But scientific research increasingly challenges this reassuring narrative.

A major systematic review and meta-analysis published last month in the journal Psychological Medicine examined 63 studies involving more than 265,000 participants. Researchers found significant correlations between marijuana use and violence across both general-population and psychiatric samples.

Among the general population, marijuana users had approximately twice the odds of perpetrating violence.…