Recreational cannabis and safety
With cannabis available legally in a number of states I’m wondering what all of your thoughts are on how this will impact workplace safety? Good, bad, won’t change a thing?
Also, anyone currently using any cannabis? No judgements here, comment anonymously (or not if you don’t care) if you’re currently using and how it’s changed your quality of life.
Comments (17)
Personally, I haven't had any issues with legalization and injuries/incidents with my company here in Canada. We do have the right to drug test if we think it might have been an underlying issue, but I feel as though most people keep it to strictly recreational use only.
While working in Oil & Gas, I found harder drug use more of an issue for camp workers.
I have had instances where I was fully aware that employees were using marijuana before coming into the facility at the start of shift. I have never personally had any instances where employees were injured at work and there was suspicion of drug use which is good. Although this opinion plays into a stereotype, I think the workforce may start to see issues with productivity... Also, food for thought: how would we officially document a correlation between recreational drug use and injuries/incidents when we do not drug test people post-injury?
In my experience in the Navy, cannabis has never been an option. While that is said, I have had plenty of experience with workers who consume alcohol and/or judgement impairing pharmaceutical drugs. We often have had to turn workers away from jobsites due to these impairments. But my personal opinion is that the responsibility of anyone who consumes a product that impairs judgement and critical thought capability is that it is up to their own responsibility to leave said impairment out of work. I think recreational usage of cannabis is a natural progression and carries far less risk than consumption of alcohol or alternative substances when used by a responsible person. Perhaps that level of responsibility will challenge the workforce as we do see alcohol related mishaps quite frequently, but an employee with a good head on their shoulders will be able to work day to day unimpaired and return home to their usage of cannabis with no issue. Personally, I think that an individual's responsibility plays the largest role in their involvement in their individual safety practice. I'd much rather consumption be legal at home then have people feeling the need to hide their usage as that type of behavior breeds recklessness.
Cannabis is of no concern used recreationally just as alcohol is. There cut from the same cloth in my eyes. The immediate effects of cannabis can typically be removed with a good nights rest. However, the problem is that it remains in your cellular structure for days at a time, unlike alcohol.
To fairly judge this, it needs more studies done. It needs a LOD defined to show what is acceptable in one's system and what is not, no different than alcohol. This mean that are testing needs to be on the spot instead of hours and days. We also need improved testing. There are ways around no flagging in a test by simply flushing the system with massive amounts of water before testing.
In regards to testing, I know some companies that do not even run rusting for THC in the system anymore. 1) because they would not be able to keep workers and 2) the stigma of cannabis is starting to change for a more positive outlook.
I participate in regular consumption of cannabis products to ease my aliments from several chronic illness. By doing this, I have been able to remove myself of man made chemical (legal) drugs that do more harm than good most of the time. I feel this does not effect my cognitive ability to perform my work related duties nor my side hobbies or jobs. I do not consume at work!
I've used it in the past. Only using it on the weekends or the night before work so it has plenty of time to wear off.
I can only see it affecting work if one were to use it right before a shift. Due to this, I think it needs to share the same spotlight as alcohol.
There was a forum/round table at ASSP Safety 2019 on this very topic. It was rather insightful because it made me think of aspects I otherwise had not.
For example, different labs report to different LODs. Sometimes, the LOD isn’t low enough to provide meaning.
Another is that THC stores in fat cells so women could show positive results for a longer timeframe than men. They mentioned how that aspect alone could open up legal challenges.
The last piece I remember was that marijuana is understudied compared to alcohol. If you test positive for alcohol after an accident, that means it’s still active (especially since there is a set blood alcohol limit). With marijuana, they aren’t quite sure what a limit would be.
I use it socially on the weekends. I don't feel that it impacts my judgement or motor skills when I show up to work Monday. I think the main issue becomes when workers are using it right before their shift starts.
My feeling is that alcohol will always be a far more dangerous alternative. Employees who smoke before their shift are probably more likely to drink before their shift as well.
Personally, I don’t use it, never have and don’t plan to change that. With that being said, I don’t have a problem with legal recreational use. In my state, however, recreational use is illegal, but I wish they would change that. I view it similar to alcohol, if your usage isn’t coming to work with it, what you do on your time is yours.
I have a few thoughts on this, okay maybe less. When I write a drug and alcohol program for a client I make sure I spell out marijuana the exact same way I would with alcohol. We need to treat them basically the same. They both are legal up here in Canada now, so I treat them fairly similar. Although I think marijuana will present a larger problem due to how long it stays in the system.