Marijuana Legalisation Will Have 'Huge' Workplace Safety Implications

USA: A group of occupational physicians has warned of “huge” workplace health and safety implications of marijuana legalisation, and is urging Congress to take the issue slowly.

This comes as the National Safety Council (NSC) released a policy statement calling on employers to strictly prohibit cannabis use for workers in safety-sensitive positions – regardless of whether cannabis consumption is allowed by their state.

Despite medical-use laws in 46 states, cannabis remains federally illegal in the USA. However, twenty-three US states and the District of Columbia have decriminalised marijuana, and ten states and the District of Columbia have legalised small amounts of marijuana for adult recreational use.

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), says the current “patchwork” of laws to address marijuana use and workplace safety is “detrimental to employees, employers, and the general public.”

In a statement sent to Congress, ACOEM said it was critical that safety is at the forefront of any policy discussions regarding the use of cannabinoids outside of the standard Food and Drug Administration approval process.

“While there is much not known about marijuana, what is known is that marijuana can cause impairment which will interfere with safe and acceptable performance in the workplace,” said ACOEM President Steven Frangos, MD.

“Furthermore, this is particularly concerning for those individuals working in safety-sensitive positions where impairment can affect the health and safety of other workers, customers, the general public, or others.”

NSC CEO and president Lorraine Martin said research clearly shows cannabis impacts a person’s psychomotor skills and cognitive ability.

“In order to protect our employees and those around them, we need to acknowledge the impairing effects of cannabis. We urge employers to implement policies stating no amount of cannabis consumption is acceptable for those who work in safety-sensitive positions.”

The NSC policy statement reads that, at this time, the “NSC believes there is no level of cannabis use that is safe or acceptable for employees who work in safety-sensitive positions.”

Earlier this year, the NSC surveyed more than 500 employers about the effects of cannabis in the workplace and found that:

• 81 per cent were concerned about the drug having a negative impact on their workforce.
• 71 per cent indicated their organisation’s written policies cover employee use of illicit cannabis, while only 54 per cent said their policies cover employee use of legal or prescribed cannabis.
• 24 per cent indicated they would dismiss an employee found to be misusing legal cannabis, such as being under the influence while on the job, while only 7 per cent said they would relocate the employee to a position of lesser responsibility.

Concerns about widespread marijuana use run contrary to a 2019 study that found legalising medical marijuana was associated with a 19.5 per cent reduction in the expected number of workplace fatalities among workers aged 25–44, and that this association grew stronger over time (see related article).

The study found that five years after taking effect, medical marijuana laws were associated with a 33.7 per cent reduction in the expected number of workplace fatalities.

The researchers suggest that although more research is needed to determine the precise mechanism through which medical marijuana laws affected workplace fatalities, one explanation is that users in legalisation states use marijuana ahead of other legal drugs which might pose greater risk.