Dr. Cindy Hanawalt of UnityPoint Health discusses the safety implications of marijuana use by employees in the workplace. PHOTO ADAM MOORE
By Katharine Carlon
katharine@corridorbusiness.com
With marijuana now legal for medical or recreational use in 47 states, the plant and its various forms are now ubiquitous in most U.S. workplaces – but that doesn’t mean employers should throw up their hands and stop drug testing employees.
UnityPoint Occupational Medicine Specialist Dr. Cindy Hanawalt said that despite greater societal acceptance and the promise of marijuana’s active agent, THC, in treating some diseases, employers should tread carefully when it comes to making policy on the drug, which is still listed as a Schedule I drug federally, placing it alongside heroin, LSD and ecstasy.
“Employers are in a difficult position to ensure workplace safety as well as compliance with state and federal legislation,” Dr. Hanawalt said, acknowledging that despite cannabis’ promise in treating conditions like cancer and multiple sclerosis, it still remains a workplace hazard. “This is a topic that is going to affect the workplace like more than any other thing I’ve seen.”
Despite popular perception of marijuana as a safe and natural compound, its potential to negatively impact businesses is becoming clearer through various workplace data points, Dr. Hanawalt noted.
“Marijuana use is growing, but as use goes up, we’re seeing more industrial injuries, we’re seeing more workplace accidents, and we’re seeing higher levels of absenteeism,” she said. “And that does correlate with increased workers compensation costs and other issues.”
Dr. Hanawalt stressed she was not a cannabis opponent, particularly for disease treatment, but questioned whether the growing adoption of recreational use posed a problem for “safety-sensitive” positions on factory floors, in public safety and in medical settings. While an increasing number of employers are eschewing drug tests in a tight labor market where 66% of Americans favor decriminalizing marijuana use, the effects of that change on the workplace are mostly unknown. Iowa’s Medical Cannabidiol Board, for example, does not include any occupational therapists.
“So, there’s nobody that deals every day with employees and employers helping make these decisions,” Dr. Hanawalt said, adding “did we not learn anything from the opioid crisis?”
Dr. Hanawalt said marijuana has some addictive properties, “and it does have an effect on our central nervous system.”
“And there’s certainly other implications,” she added. “We have not seen that traffic violations are going down in the state of Colorado. We’re actually seeing things going up.”
Even so, employers concerned about the implications of marijuana use are fighting a strong cultural tide, buoyed only by the fact it is still barred under federal law. That’s why it’s critical, she said, to continue to test in safety sensitive positions for both ethical and legal reasons, as well as training management on reasonable suspicion.
“One size does not fit all,” she said. “You may want to designate your safety-sensitive positions for setting policies of what is acceptable as far as drug screening, and you need to make sure that you’re consistent … you have to understand what the law is to educate your employees on the risks and side effects of substances.” CBJ
