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according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As legal recreational marijuana use continues to expand across the United States, marijuana has been shown to inhibit certain motor skills, which has made it crucial for employers to have a better understanding how best to approach safety training, according to the study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“We have been looking at some of the behavioral risk factors associated with marijuana legalization and were interested in the data broken down by industry and occupation, which could help employers make decisions on any kind of safety and drug use policies in the workplace,” lead author Roberta Smith, RN, occupational health program manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a interview. “This doesn’t necessarily imply any impairment on the job, but these data will reinforce current policies and encourage employers to go back and see how their work places operate and make sure their employees are good to staff.”
To examine current marijuana use by working adults and the industries and occupations in which they are employed, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment analyzed data from the state’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System regarding current marijuana use (at least 1 day during the preceding 30 days) among 10,169 persons who had responded to the current marijuana use question.
Participants were over the age of 21 years old and were either employed at the time of the survey or had been unemployed for less than a year.
In the overall population, 14.6% reported using marijuana, with higher prevalence in men (17.2%) and those 18-25 years old (29.6%).
By industry, accommodation and food service workers reported the highest rate of use at 30.1%, followed by those in the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry with 28.3%.
While the highest percentage of reported users came from food services and entertainment, safety-sensitive jobs like construction saw rates as high as 20% when not adjusted for age, according to investigators,
Ms. Smith and her colleagues found use varied across safety-sensitive industries, with high rates in construction (19.7%), waste management (18.8%), and manufacturing (16.3%) that were above the total population prevalence. Meanwhile, mining, health care, and transportation were all 10% or lower, which may be because of more regular drug testing.
“It might be reassuring that our health care professionals are on the lower end of use,” said Ms. Smith. “Having worked in a medical facility, I know drug policies for workers are clear and employees are aware of drug testing and when it will occur.”
While the health care industry reported low usage, 15.8% of health care support management workers, such as x-ray technicians, reported marijuana use.
When adjusted for age, the prevalence among workers in certain industries – such as food services, arts, and construction industry – saw significant decreases, which lead investigators to conclude younger employees would be a key target for more marijuana-related drug-use policies.
Ms. Smith and her colleagues recognized the population used may not be a full representation of all Colorado employees and that missing data regarding how often individuals used marijuana within 30 days could offer different considerations for workplace impairment.
Investigators also noted the data may have been influenced by self-reported bias or recording errors by survey takers.
Moving forward, Ms. Smith and her colleagues are interested in how this data might shift as more states conduct their own research and as marijuana policy changes.
This report was funded by the CDC, and investigators report no relevant financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Smith R et al. MMWR. 2018 Apr 13;67(14):409-13.
according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As legal recreational marijuana use continues to expand across the United States, marijuana has been shown to inhibit certain motor skills, which has made it crucial for employers to have a better understanding how best to approach safety training, according to the study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“We have been looking at some of the behavioral risk factors associated with marijuana legalization and were interested in the data broken down by industry and occupation, which could help employers make decisions on any kind of safety and drug use policies in the workplace,” lead author Roberta Smith, RN, occupational health program manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a interview. “This doesn’t necessarily imply any impairment on the job, but these data will reinforce current policies and encourage employers to go back and see how their work places operate and make sure their employees are good to staff.”
To examine current marijuana use by working adults and the industries and occupations in which they are employed, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment analyzed data from the state’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System regarding current marijuana use (at least 1 day during the preceding 30 days) among 10,169 persons who had responded to the current marijuana use question.
Participants were over the age of 21 years old and were either employed at the time of the survey or had been unemployed for less than a year.
In the overall population, 14.6% reported using marijuana, with higher prevalence in men (17.2%) and those 18-25 years old (29.6%).
By industry, accommodation and food service workers reported the highest rate of use at 30.1%, followed by those in the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry with 28.3%.
While the highest percentage of reported users came from food services and entertainment, safety-sensitive jobs like construction saw rates as high as 20% when not adjusted for age, according to investigators,
Ms. Smith and her colleagues found use varied across safety-sensitive industries, with high rates in construction (19.7%), waste management (18.8%), and manufacturing (16.3%) that were above the total population prevalence. Meanwhile, mining, health care, and transportation were all 10% or lower, which may be because of more regular drug testing.
“It might be reassuring that our health care professionals are on the lower end of use,” said Ms. Smith. “Having worked in a medical facility, I know drug policies for workers are clear and employees are aware of drug testing and when it will occur.”
While the health care industry reported low usage, 15.8% of health care support management workers, such as x-ray technicians, reported marijuana use.
When adjusted for age, the prevalence among workers in certain industries – such as food services, arts, and construction industry – saw significant decreases, which lead investigators to conclude younger employees would be a key target for more marijuana-related drug-use policies.
Ms. Smith and her colleagues recognized the population used may not be a full representation of all Colorado employees and that missing data regarding how often individuals used marijuana within 30 days could offer different considerations for workplace impairment.
Investigators also noted the data may have been influenced by self-reported bias or recording errors by survey takers.
Moving forward, Ms. Smith and her colleagues are interested in how this data might shift as more states conduct their own research and as marijuana policy changes.
This report was funded by the CDC, and investigators report no relevant financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Smith R et al. MMWR. 2018 Apr 13;67(14):409-13.
according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As legal recreational marijuana use continues to expand across the United States, marijuana has been shown to inhibit certain motor skills, which has made it crucial for employers to have a better understanding how best to approach safety training, according to the study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“We have been looking at some of the behavioral risk factors associated with marijuana legalization and were interested in the data broken down by industry and occupation, which could help employers make decisions on any kind of safety and drug use policies in the workplace,” lead author Roberta Smith, RN, occupational health program manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a interview. “This doesn’t necessarily imply any impairment on the job, but these data will reinforce current policies and encourage employers to go back and see how their work places operate and make sure their employees are good to staff.”
To examine current marijuana use by working adults and the industries and occupations in which they are employed, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment analyzed data from the state’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System regarding current marijuana use (at least 1 day during the preceding 30 days) among 10,169 persons who had responded to the current marijuana use question.
Participants were over the age of 21 years old and were either employed at the time of the survey or had been unemployed for less than a year.
In the overall population, 14.6% reported using marijuana, with higher prevalence in men (17.2%) and those 18-25 years old (29.6%).
By industry, accommodation and food service workers reported the highest rate of use at 30.1%, followed by those in the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry with 28.3%.
While the highest percentage of reported users came from food services and entertainment, safety-sensitive jobs like construction saw rates as high as 20% when not adjusted for age, according to investigators,
Ms. Smith and her colleagues found use varied across safety-sensitive industries, with high rates in construction (19.7%), waste management (18.8%), and manufacturing (16.3%) that were above the total population prevalence. Meanwhile, mining, health care, and transportation were all 10% or lower, which may be because of more regular drug testing.
“It might be reassuring that our health care professionals are on the lower end of use,” said Ms. Smith. “Having worked in a medical facility, I know drug policies for workers are clear and employees are aware of drug testing and when it will occur.”
While the health care industry reported low usage, 15.8% of health care support management workers, such as x-ray technicians, reported marijuana use.
When adjusted for age, the prevalence among workers in certain industries – such as food services, arts, and construction industry – saw significant decreases, which lead investigators to conclude younger employees would be a key target for more marijuana-related drug-use policies.
Ms. Smith and her colleagues recognized the population used may not be a full representation of all Colorado employees and that missing data regarding how often individuals used marijuana within 30 days could offer different considerations for workplace impairment.
Investigators also noted the data may have been influenced by self-reported bias or recording errors by survey takers.
Moving forward, Ms. Smith and her colleagues are interested in how this data might shift as more states conduct their own research and as marijuana policy changes.
This report was funded by the CDC, and investigators report no relevant financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Smith R et al. MMWR. 2018 Apr 13;67(14):409-13.
FROM MMWR