Daily HealthBeat Tip

For better or for worse

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

It appears men often do what their wives tell them � even on drug use. Researcher Kenneth Leonard of the Research Institute on Addictions at the University at Buffalo looked at newlyweds' first three years. The study in the Journal of Drug Issues was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Leonard found husbands are more likely to smoke marijuana if their wives do, or not smoke if the wives don't. But the wives don't seem to be influenced by the husbands.

Leonard says one possible explanation is that the husbands are getting trained:

"Wives may press for changes in their husbands' behavior. And husbands, in the interests of maintaining harmony and avoiding conflict in the relationship, may change in response to their wives expectations." (nine seconds)

Either way, Leonard's advice for marijuana smokers is to quit.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: September 26, 2005

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