A new analysis of 46,499 working adults in the United States using data from the 2021-2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that recent and frequent cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) were associated with higher rates of workplace absence, including both absences due to illness/injury and missed work days. Among full-time workers, 15.9% used cannabis in the past month, with 6.5% meeting criteria for CUD. The study found that in the past 30 days, the average number of work days missed due to illness was 1.47 for people who did not have CUD but had used cannabis in the past month. For those who had never used cannabis, the average number of sick days was 0.95. While even infrequent cannabis use was associated with work absence, individuals with CUD were 1.30–2.87 times more likely to be absent from work than individuals without CUD.
The study suggests that the effects of cannabis on adults in the workplace extend beyond those who meet criteria for CUD. However, the researchers stress the need for longitudinal studies examining the effects of cannabis use, as well as qualitative studies that can better analyze the effects of various cumulative factors not considered in this study. These factors include medical cannabis use and whether participants used cannabis during or outside of work hours.
The 26th August in American Journal of Preventive Medicine and was led by Kevin H. Yang, MD, a third-year resident in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and Joseph J. Palamar, Ph.D, MPH, an associate professor in the Division of Population Health at New York University Grossman School of Medicine.
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