Cannabis news and notes: cannabis not a risk for workplace injury, legalization proponents raising lots of cash

NORML is out with a new report showing that people with a history of cannabis use are no more likely than those without one to become injured at work. The study, based on past year cannabis use, uses data published in the journal Occupational Medicine.

According to a statement released by NORML, a team of researchers, all of whom are affiliated with the University of Toronto, Department of Occupational Medicine, studied a group of over 136,500 Canadian workers to see the relationship between past-year cannabis use and work-related injuries.

NORML noted that researchers identified “no association between past-year cannabis use and work-related injury” for everyone, regardless of occupation. The research included people working in high injury risk occupations. What did show an increased risk for workplace injury was being male and being under 39 years of age.

Authors concluded: “To the best of our knowledge, this was the largest population-based cross-sectional study examining the association between past-year cannabis use and work-related injuries. … We found that workers reporting using cannabis more than once in the past year were no more likely to report having experienced a work-related injury over the same time period in a large cohort of the Canadian working population.”

NORML noticed that “their conclusions are similar to those of other studies — such as those here, here, here, and here — finding that adults who consume cannabis in their off-hours are no more likely to suffer injuries at work than are those employees who abstain from the substance.”

“Suspicionless marijuana testing in the workplace is not now, nor has it ever been, an evidence-based policy,” said NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano in a statement. “Rather, these discriminatory practices are a holdover from the zeitgeist of the 1980s ‘war on drugs.’ But times have changed; attitudes have changed, and in many places, the marijuana laws have changed. It is time for workplace policies to adapt to this new reality and to cease punishing employees for activities they engage in during their off-hours that pose no workplace safety threat.”

Marijuana legalization proponents outraising opponents

According to a report released by Marijuana Business Daily, marijuana legalization proponents are raising cash hand over foot this year. 

“Financial support for marijuana legalization, both medical and recreational, has grown significantly in 2020 compared to 2016. Proponents of state ballot measures have outraised opponents this election season by almost 36-to-1, a massive increase from four years ago when advocates outstripped the opposition by only 4-to-1,” reports Andrew Long for Marijuana Business Daily.

They go on to note that “supporters of the legalization measures in Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota have brought in roughly $19.6 million so far, compared with only $546,000 raised by opponents, according to a Marijuana Business Daily analysis using data from Ballotpedia and campaign-finance disclosures.”

Courtesy Marijuana Business Daily