A study published in the online journal "Psychology of Addictive Behaviors" found that heterosexuals couples who smoke marijuana together are at less risk from domestic abuse.

Heterosexual couples who smoke pot more than once a week have the lowest rate of domestic violence.

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The study revolved around 634 married couples recruited during the time they were obtaining their marriage licenses. Survey questions included frequency of intimate partner violence (IPV) during the last year and the number of times each individual smoked marijuana.

A six point Likert scale was used in the survey, ranging from "not at all" to "more than once a week."

After the initial survey, the couples were asked to participate in follow-up assessments on their first, second, fourth, seventh and ninth anniversaries.

Researchers were cautious not to immediately conclude that marijuana use directly affected marital relationships. They did find, however, there were fewer incidents of IPV with couples who smoked pot regularly.

"It is possible, for example, that -- similar to a drinking partnership -- couples who use marijuana together may share similar values and social circles, and it is this similarity that is responsible for reducing the likelihood of conflict," said Lead author, Philip H. Smith, PhD, associate research scientist for the Department of Psychiatry at Yale.

Females who had a history of inflicting domestic violence and smoked pot regularly did not follow the pattern, researchers found. These women tended to be even more violent towards their partners.

Researchers did the study because of beliefs that marijuana may increase positivity, reduce conflict and aggression.

There is also a belief that chronic marijuana users have numbed emotional reactions to threat stimuli, resulting in less aggressive behavior.

Despite the interesting research results, Dr. Smith admitted the study was limited and he'd like to replicate the findings with alcohol use and daily marijuana intake.