@article{ref1,
title="Continuity of cannabis use and violent offending over the life course",
journal="Psychological medicine",
year="2016",
author="Schoeler, T. and Theobald, D. and Pingault, J-b and Farrington, David P. and Jennings, W. G. and Piquero, A. R. and Coid, J. W. and Bhattacharyya, S.",
volume="46",
number="8",
pages="1663-1677",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Although the association between cannabis use and violence has been reported in the literature, the precise nature of this relationship, especially the directionality of the association, is unclear. <br><br>METHOD: Young males from the Cambridge Study of Delinquent Development (n = 411) were followed up between the ages of 8 and 56 years to prospectively investigate the association between cannabis use and violence. A multi-wave (eight assessments, T1-T8) follow-up design was employed that allowed temporal sequencing of the variables of interest and the analysis of violent outcome measures obtained from two sources: (i) criminal records (violent conviction); and (ii) self-reports. A combination of analytic approaches allowing inferences as to the directionality of associations was employed, including multivariate logistic regression analysis, fixed-effects analysis and cross-lagged modelling. <br><br>RESULTS: Multivariable logistic regression revealed that compared with never-users, continued exposure to cannabis (use at age 18, 32 and 48 years) was associated with a higher risk of subsequent violent behaviour, as indexed by convictions [odds ratio (OR) 7.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.19-23.59] or self-reports (OR 8.9, 95% CI 2.37-46.21). This effect persisted after controlling for other putative risk factors for violence. In predicting violence, fixed-effects analysis and cross-lagged modelling further indicated that this effect could not be explained by other unobserved time-invariant factors. Furthermore, these analyses uncovered a bi-directional relationship between cannabis use and violence. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results provide strong indication that cannabis use predicts subsequent violent offending, suggesting a possible causal effect, and provide empirical evidence that may have implications for public policy.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0033-2917",
doi="10.1017/S0033291715003001",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291715003001"
}