Cannabis use disorder (CUD) and frequent cannabis use are linked to greater absenteeism at work, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has found.
Kevin H. Yang, M.D., of the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues analyzed data from 46,499 adults who were employed full-time and participated in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2021 to 2022. Participants were asked if they had ever used cannabis and, if yes, how recently. Those who used cannabis in the past month were asked how often. Proxy diagnosis of CUD and CUD severity were determined using standardized items corresponding to DSM-5 criteria. Participants were then asked how many days of work they had missed in the past month because they were sick or injured and how many days of work they had missed because they “just didn’t want to be there.”
Overall, an estimated 15.9% of participants used cannabis in the past month. In addition, 4.0%, 1.6%, and 0.9% met criteria for mild, moderate, and severe CUD, respectively. Participants who used cannabis in the past month had a mean 1.47 days of missed work because of illness or injury, compared with 0.95 days for those who never used cannabis. Participants who used cannabis in the past month had a mean 0.63 days of skipping work compared with 0.28 days for those who had never used cannabis. Individuals who met the criteria for any CUD were more likely than those without CUD to miss or skip work, with the latter showing a stepwise increase as CUD severity increased.
Yang and colleagues wrote that cannabis use has been linked to anxiety, panic attacks, depression, sleep disturbances, respiratory issues, and vehicle accidents, all of which could contribute to increased absenteeism due to illness or injury. They added that individuals who are injured or ill may turn to cannabis for self-medication, potentially exacerbating the cycle of absenteeism.
The researchers noted that cannabis consumption may lead to reduced motivation and cognitive changes, which may partially explain why individuals who use cannabis are more likely to skip work. They added that such associations may be bidirectional, where individuals wanting to skip work may be more inclined to use cannabis because of factors such as boredom.
“These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions, workplace prevention policies, and further research to mitigate the negative consequences of cannabis use on work productivity and overall public health,” Yang and colleagues concluded.
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “SUDs Cost Employer Health Insurance $35 Billion Per Year.”
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Source: https://alert.psychnews.org
