Some people who drink think they can fight everybody in the bar. Jekyll & Hyde transformation.
I saw a few bar fights and decided it wasn’t worth going.
How about smoking marijuana? My main point of reference is Cheech & Chong. Let’s just say they put extensive research into their performance.
My impression of tokers is very mellow, a little befuddled, and laid back. Just don’t let them see your stash of potato chips.
Is combative behavior typically associated with marijuana consumption?
Weed is legal in some states, and I’ve wondered if places with live music, non-alcoholic drinks, food, and BYO weed could operate without people tearing up the place?
The ones I have seen were generally pretty mellow, but if they started to suspect you might be plotting to narc on them, things could get a little tense.
“Scientists proved marijuana was not connected to insanity or violence in the 40s. And in 1973, a bipartisan government commission recommended Nixon decriminalize it. “ from Adam Conover
National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse. “Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding.” 1973. W (Link at end of post)
Quote (bolding mine ): “In a Commission-sponsored survey, face-to-face interviews were conducted with a representative sample of 559 West Philadelphia residents in order to ascertain the extent of marihuana use in this heterogeneous population and the relative involvement of marihuana users and nonusers in violent criminal behavior. In corroboration of the earlier findings, the researchers **found no significant differences ** in the proportions of users and non-users; who stated that they had committed any of the aggressive or violent crimes enumerated.”
A scientific study. That’s just what I’m looking for.
This is why GQ rocks.
I realize some people don’t need alcohol to get into fights. They’re bad tempered & aggressive all the time.
But alcohol is known for turning some people mean. I saw one fight break out because a guy in the crowd jostled his arm. Some beer landed on him. The fight was on until the bouncers took care of it.
Yes, the scientific report cited above backs that too :
“In contrast, however, the aggressive and violent offenders in this sample did report with significantly greater frequency the use of alcohol within 24 hours of the offense in question.”
Also :
“The data show that marihuana users were much less likely to commit aggressive or violent acts than were those who preferred amphetamines or alcohol. They also show that most marihuana users were able to condition themselves to avoid aggressive behavior even in the face of provocation. “
I’ve been to scores of hemp fests and Oregon Country Fairs where alcohol is an absolute no-go but weed clouds rise to the heavens and have never once seen a fight. There you go, anecdata.
From Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know, (2012), p 74-75.
The rate of marijuana use is higher among offenders than among nonoffenders, but the conventional wisdom in the academic community is that both behaviors are results of the same common causes, rather than marijuana causing criminal offending.
… A review of the evidence in a National Academy of Sciences study on violence concluded, “The majority of the evidence in experimental studies with animals and humans, as well as most data from chronic users, emphasizes that cannabis preparations (eg marijuana, hashish) or THC decrease aggressive and violent behavior” (emphasis added). There is a statistical association between marijuana use and psychotic symptoms, but psychosis isn’t necessarily violent and causality hasn’t been determined. Also psychotic symptoms could involve one incident: it doesn’t necessarily equate to full blown schizophrenia.
Um, maybe? I am definitely not anti-weed, even though I don’t use it myself. I know plenty of people who do, though, and my experience mirrors the others here: mellow folks. However, the research says maybe not so fast.
This article cites a 50-year study that followed 411 males born around 1953 and living in London. The study considered other factors, such as alcohol use, antisocial traits, mental illness, and family history.
A study in Montreal found cannabis increased violent behavior in people who are already mentally illl by 144%, so at least in some individuals, weed doesn’t make them so mellow.
On the other hand, states that have legalized weed have experienced a decrease in violent crime [See here and here*.] I’m not sure whether there’s a causal connection, but one would think violent crime would increase after legalization of cannabis if it made many people more aggressive.
Make all of this what you will.
*I had to lie and say I lived in a Canadian province to access, even though the article is about Colorado and Washington. Hey, I used to live NEAR Alberta and visited there often. Close, right?
I have taken care of literally hundreds of assault victims. Never was I told, or had I reason to believe, that the person who committed the assault, did so, after using marijuana alone.
Alcohol however, was involved probably more than 75% of the time.
On average, marijuana lowers violence, according to a review of the literature by the National Academy of Sciences, which I quoted earlier.
It’s plausible though that among certain (smallish) populations pot might have the opposite effect. I’d want to see replication and a wider literature review though. Judging from the dopers at least, anecdotal evidence of angry potheads is hard to come by.
As someone who majored in it in college, I’ve never, ever seen someone get combative due to smoking weed. Even with things such as ‘hey man, you’re high, toss me the keys and I’ll drive home’. Someone drunk will likely fight you on that if they think they can still drive. Someone high will probably hand them to you without a second drive, even if they think they can drive.
Also, it should be kept in mind that once you’re in that lifestyle and getting high multiple times a day, you get pretty used to it. Granted, you’re still stoned, but you’re comfortable with it and you’re normal personality can come back out. If you’re an argumentative or aggressive jackass to begin with, you may still be when you’re high…but it’s not because you’re high.
Honestly, other than something like PCP, most drugs that I can think of (Ecstasy, weed, opiates, hallucinogens (acid/mushrooms), disassociatives (Ketamine DXM), even coke or amphetamines, tend to put people in a good mood. Either because they mellow you out so much or because of the serotonin or dopamine release. Yes, some people can get aggressive on uppers, but they’re generally feel good drugs.
I’ve been around stoners for decades and never once have I witnessed (or even heard about) anyone getting violent or combative after smoking dope. A cop friend of mine said that he can spot a driver under the influence of pot because they stop at stop signs for the full 3 seconds & are otherwise overly cautious. While alcohol seems to make people lose their inhibitions, marijuana seems to increase them.
I feel I should address the OP’s perception of stoners in general in that it is, well, very general. Here’s the poop - lot’s of posters have been saying, “I’ve been around stoners for years, so I know …” but I’m here to let you know that I’ve *been *a stoner for years and I could show up to your house for Thanksgiving dinner, play with your kids and teach your dog to sit all while completely baked and you’d never know it if I didn’t tell you.
I don’t own a frisbee, I don’t wear tye-die caftans, I go to work, I pay my bills and my mom thinks I’m a hell of a person. I just smoke pot too.
That said, I’ve seen stoners get into arguments and fights before, because while pot is awesome, it doesn’t actually change reality. Assholes who get high are still generally assholes and, believe me, if two people who don’t really like each other get high together, they’ll still get on each other’s nerves.
