Does marijuana play a role in mass shootings?

Certain sections of the American population were quick to blame the mass shootings on everything from marijuana to video games to side doors. As of early May 2023, more than 200 mass shootings occurred in the United States. The discussion about the solution of this specifically American problem comes to the fore. Most people want a simple answer, and for some, marijuana is the root of all their problems. The problem is that they are not backed up by data.

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Cannabis use, and particularly heavy cannabis use, has been increasing since 1992, and nationwide homicide rates have fallen by more than 50% over the same period.

A 2013 study by the Rand Corporation, commissioned by the federal government, found that “marijuana use does not cause violent crime and the association between marijuana use and property crime is low.”

Experts are skeptical about the alleged link between marijuana and violence. Marijuana use is higher among young men, people with severe adverse childhood experiences, antisocial personalities, low income, little education, and use of other illicit substances. All of these are known risk factors for violence.

So yes, many mass shooters have turned out to be marijuana users, experts said. That doesn’t mean the pot made her pull the trigger, though. They also watch violent films, eat fast food, and take hot baths, but that gives neither the reason nor the means to shoot down an outlet mall.

A study published in the Economic Journal in 2017 found that states on the US-Mexico border that legalized medical marijuana saw a 5.6 to 12.5 percent drop in violent crime. And in Colorado and Washington, it had little to do with crime rates. In countries where marijuana is legal other than the United States, mass shootings do not occur regularly.

Proponents of the notion that marijuana incites violence and mass shootings cite a book by Alex Berenson. But the book has caused controversy since its publication. The book uses flawed methods and data. A public letter signed by 100 scientists and clinicians refuted the findings and accused Berenson of picking data and citing correlations as the cause.

Katherine Newman, system chancellor for academic programs, senior vice president of economic development at UMass Amherst, and author of a book on school shootings. “There is no link whatsoever between marijuana and extreme violence.”

Photo by Caleb Perez via Unsplash

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Regarding video games, a UK study published in February 2019 was based on interviews with 1,004 British 14 and 15 year olds and their carers. The teenagers were asked about their gaming behavior and the adults who care for them were asked about their behavior.

“Violent video gaming is not associated with aggressive behavior in adolescents,” the study concluded.

Similarly, a 2018 study by researchers from Stetson and Florida State University found that violent video games “play very little, if any, role in the development of adolescent psychopathology or crime.”

Facts and information matter when it comes to the lives of our fellow citizens.