Using cannabis at work could keep you safe: study

A new study suggests that states that have adopted medical cannabis legislation have seen a decline in the number of young adult fatalities in the workplace.

Conducted by economists Mark Anderson of Montana State University, Erdal Tekin of American University and Daniel Rees of the University of Colorado, the study published last October in the International Journal of Drug Policy shows that the legalization of medical cannabis could create a safer work environment.

One of the most significant findings was a subsequent 19.5% decrease in fatal job-related injuries in 25- to 44-year-old workers located in states that have enacted medical cannabis legislation.

“Although there is increasing concern that legalizing medical marijuana will make workplaces more dangerous, little is known about the relationship between medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and workplace fatalities,” the authors write.

One of the most significant findings was a subsequent 19.5% decrease in fatal job-related injuries in 25- to 44-year-old workers located in states that have enacted medical cannabis legislation.

The decrease in fatalities among older workers was insignificant, as was the decrease in the overall group.

Medical cannabis legislation was also associated with a “33.7% reduction in the expected number of workplace fatalities.” States with medical cannabis legislation that “listed pain as a qualifying condition or allowed collective cultivation” correlate with a more significant reduction of fatalities in 25- 44-year-old workers than in those that did not.

The authors drew numbers from on-the-job fatalities from 1992 to 2015 for each state from yearly statistics provided by Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

The authors hypothesize that the decline is associated with the use of cannabis as medication in lieu of more potentially dangerous substances such as opioids or alcohol.

“Because non-habitual opioid use slows reflexes and impairs cognitive functioning, the enactment of MMLs [medical marijuana laws] could, in theory, make workplaces safer,” the authors write.

The “results provide evidence that legalizing medical marijuana improved workplace safety for workers aged 25–44,” the authors say.

However, “further investigation is required to determine whether this result is attributable to reductions in the consumption of alcohol and other substances that impair cognitive function, memory, and motor skills.”