Statistics show that marijuana has gained greater momentum over the last decade and will likely continue to do so, driven by factors that include clinical research supporting medical relevance in specific circumstances, and sociopolitical movements that have helped marijuana to shed some of its criminal associations as legislation catches up with public opinion.
Public Approval is High…
- 91% of Americans are for marijuana legalization
- 60% are for recreational legalization
- 18% of the U.S. population used marijuana at least once in 2019
And Not Just for the Young…
- 132,000 adults 65+ use marijuana each day
- Marijuana use increased 10x among adults 65+ from 2002-2014
Even Regulators are on Board
- 18 states legalized recreational marijuana
- At least six states introduced recreational bills for consideration in 2022
- Marijuana is medically legal in 37 states, with more states working to introduce medical programs
But as marijuana acceptance continues to grow and more individuals partake – either medically or recreationally – how is this impacting workplace safety?
Marijuana’s Prevalence in The Workforce
Studies show that a growing portion of the workforce uses marijuana, and pro-marijuana legislation is in no small way responsible.
According to Quest Diagnostics – the nation’s top provider of employee drug screenings – marijuana positivity rates among employee drug screenings increased 118.2% in states that legalized recreational marijuana from 2012-2020.
While states with only medical legalization or no legalization saw lower positivity rates, overall marijuana positivity rates increased 16% across urine analysis from 2019-2020, reaching 3.6% across the general workforce.
