DM Podcast Takeaways

A major meta-analysis published in Psychological Medicine examined 63 studies involving 265,079 people and found that cannabis use was associated with 2.05 times the odds of perpetrating violence in the general population. Among psychiatric patients, the odds were 2.49 times higher. The strongest associations were found for violence resulting in a criminal conviction.

The researchers also found that cannabis use was associated with a 49% increase in the odds of becoming a victim of violence. The association with perpetrating violence remained statistically significant in both longitudinal studies (OR 1.17) and cross-sectional studies (OR 2.37).

The findings highlight a substantial relationship between cannabis use and violence across the populations studied. The authors emphasize that cannabis use should be routinely assessed in psychiatric patients, and identify it as a potential target for interventions aimed at reducing violence.

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