A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people who frequently use cannabis or suffer from cannabis use disorder are more likely to miss work. The study analyzed data from more than 46,000 employed adults in the United States and found that recent cannabis use was associated with increased absenteeism due to illness, injury, and intentional skipping of work. This association is stronger with more frequent cannabis use and with more severe cases of cannabis use disorder.
Cannabis use is becoming increasingly common in the United States, especially as laws continue to move toward legalization for both medical and recreational purposes. More than 23% of U.S. adults report using cannabis in the past year, and this trend is expected to increase. Nevertheless, researchers still do not fully understand how cannabis use impacts the workplace, particularly in terms of absenteeism, which can have a significant impact on productivity and economic outcomes. No.
Previous research on cannabis and absenteeism has been inconsistent. Some studies suggest that cannabis use increases absenteeism, while others find no association or even a decrease in absenteeism after cannabis legalization. This study aimed to resolve these discrepancies by analyzing recent comprehensive data from a nationally representative survey. By looking at both the frequency of cannabis use and the severity of cannabis use disorder, the researchers hoped to provide clearer insight into how cannabis affects workplace attendance.
The researchers also drew inspiration from similar studies on alcohol use. Alcohol use disorder has been shown to significantly increase absenteeism at work. Given the similarities between alcohol and cannabis as commonly used substances, researchers wondered whether a similar relationship might exist between cannabis use and cannabis use disorder.
“Cannabis use has increased dramatically in the past decade in the United States, likely driven by changes in legalization and decreased risk perception associated with use,” said study author and third-year medical student. said Dr. Kevin H. Yang, eye resident. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. “As a UCSD researcher, I am part of a team that examines various public health aspects of cannabis use and considers both the benefits and risks.Given the changing circumstances, we We wanted to understand how this affects important areas of life, including absenteeism at work.”
To investigate this question, researchers used data from the 2021-2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which surveyed more than 46,000 full-time employed adults. . This study was designed to be representative of the U.S. population, and the findings may be generalizable to the broader workforce.
Participants were asked questions about their cannabis use, including whether they had used cannabis in the past month, how often they had used it during that period, and whether they met criteria for cannabis use disorder. Cannabis use disorder is diagnosed based on criteria set by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This criteria takes into account factors such as how much control you have over your cannabis use and whether your cannabis use is having a negative impact on your life.
Workplace absenteeism was measured in two ways: days missed due to illness or injury, and days missed due to other reasons, such as not wanting to go to work. The researchers controlled for other factors that may influence absenteeism, such as age, gender, race, education level, household income, and use of other substances such as alcohol and nicotine.
The data was analyzed using a statistical model, allowing researchers to see how cannabis use and cannabis use disorder affect absenteeism, taking into account these other factors. Ta. We also conducted a sensitivity analysis that included part-time workers to ensure that our results were robust across different employment statuses.
The study found a clear link between recent cannabis use and increased workplace absenteeism. People who had used cannabis in the past 30 days missed more days from work than people who had not used cannabis recently. This applies both to absences due to illness or injury, and to absences from work for other reasons.
Specifically, those who had used cannabis in the past month missed an average of 1.47 days, compared to only 0.95 days among those who had never used cannabis. Similarly, recent cannabis users skipped an average of 0.63 workdays simply because they didn't want to go, compared to 0.28 days for those who had never used cannabis.
Frequency of cannabis use also had an effect. People who used cannabis more frequently, especially those who used it almost every day, were even more likely to miss work. For example, people who use cannabis 20 to 30 days per month are 1.36 times more likely to miss work due to illness or injury than people who have not used cannabis recently, and are 1.36 times more likely to skip work due to illness or injury. was 1.83 times higher.
Cannabis use disorder also had a significant impact on absenteeism. People with mild, moderate, or severe cannabis use disorder were more likely to miss work for both reasons than those without the disorder. The severity of the disorder is closely related to how much time is missed from work, with people suffering from severe cannabis use disorder almost three times more likely to skip work than people without the disorder.
“One surprising finding was that a dose-response relationship was observed between cannabis use disorder severity and work slacking, as cannabis use disorder severity increased from mild to moderate to severe. , we found that the rate of skipping work increased gradually,” Yang said.
These findings suggest that not only is cannabis use associated with increased work absenteeism, but that the intensity of cannabis use and the presence of cannabis use disorder further exacerbate this trend.
“Importantly, recent frequent cannabis use and cannabis use disorder are associated with higher rates of absenteeism from work due to injury or illness and slacking off at work,” Yang said. . “These findings highlight the need for drug prevention and treatment strategies in the workplace and the need for further research to better understand these relationships.”
As with any study, there are some limitations to consider. One limitation is that this study was cross-sectional, meaning it looked at data at one point in time. As a result, researchers could not determine whether cannabis use was the cause of absenteeism or whether other factors were at play.
“For example, cannabis use may be more likely to be absent from work, or people who are more likely to miss work may also be more likely to consume cannabis,” Yang explained. “Furthermore, because our data relies on self-reporting, it can be affected by various types of bias, such as recall bias and social desirability bias.”
The study also did not distinguish between medical and recreational cannabis use, which may be an important factor. People who use cannabis for medical reasons may have different patterns of absenteeism than those who use cannabis recreationally.
“We aim to conduct longitudinal studies to better understand the causal relationships between cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and workplace outcomes,” Yang said. “We are also interested in qualitative research to understand why people consume cannabis, why they take time off from work, and what the relationship is between them.”
The study, “Cannabis Use, Use Disorders, and Workplace Absenteeism in the United States, 2021-2022,” was authored by Kevin H. Yang, Letitia Muller, Omar Elshawy, and Joseph J. Paramar.
