A study published in Canadian Journal of Public Health found workers who use cannabis during off hours did no have increased risk of causing workplace accidents.
Cannabis typically remains detectable in urine for 7-30 days, whereas other drugs are typically only detectable for 2-5 days. Therefore, companies who force employees to take random urine tests are more likely to target employees who use cannabis rather than other drugs that may have a more detrimental effect on job performance, such as alcohol.
The researchers studied Canadian workers over three years (2018-2020) and focused on those who had taken the survey for at least two consecutive years. They categorized cannabis use as either non-workplace use (using cannabis outside of work) or workplace use (using cannabis before or during work).
They found that compared to workers who didn’t use cannabis in the past year, those who used it outside of work (non-workplace use) had a similar risk of workplace injury. However, those who used cannabis at work had almost twice the risk of experiencing a workplace injury.
This result was consistent for both workers in safety-sensitive jobs and non-safety-sensitive jobs. Safety-sensitive jobs are those where being impaired could have serious consequences for the worker or others.
Most previous studies on cannabis and workplace injuries used general measures of cannabis use, which could include use outside of work hours. However, a researcher named Frone developed a more comprehensive model that looks specifically at how cannabis use at or near the workplace is linked to workplace outcomes, like injuries, performance, and attendance.
This model suggests that using cannabis at or close to work is a more significant risk factor for workplace injuries than using it outside of work. Surprisingly, prior studies did not take this distinction into account.
These findings suggest the need for workplace policies addressing cannabis use and the importance of educating workers about the risks of using cannabis at work.
I wonder if this will result in a change in drug testing practices
I hate to say it but Im sure it won’t
Awesome!!
A step in the right direction!
Love to see it!!
fingers crossed we see more studies like this in the future!!
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This is great!!!!
Do you know of any other studies going on right now?
hope we see more like this in the future!!
Alcohol is significantly more harmful than cannabis, and it is treated more like an OTC drug from the drug store than something that can destroy homes and lives
the only way using it outside of work can affect your job performance is if you do it right before going in for your shift
Itād be different if doctors didnāt literally prescribe this and other āimpairingā drugs