Do Drugs Cause Violence?

Abstract

It is our nature to look for causal relationships, which potentially influences our interpretation of correlational research findings, both as researchers and as consumers. Finding a relationship does not mean that one event causes another: Correlation is not causation. Several criteria have been identified that increase the likelihood that an observed relationship demonstrates a causal relationship. To address the question of whether drugs cause violence, we need to acknowledge that “drugs” and “violence” are very broad terms and that there are multiple relationships between drugs and violence. Research has demonstrated strong support for the correlation between drugs and violence, with some relationships stronger than others. While the evidence is inadequate to make causal claims, this is encouraging because correlations are important in determining causation. Establishing causation is challenging, but it is possible and research should continue to pursue the question: Do drugs cause violence?