Marijuana, Benign? Not for the Users and Those Around Them

Consider this: One in four marijuana users who are employed admit to getting high at work within the past year, according to a survey of cannabis consumers in Washington, Oregon and Colorado, three states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Also, one in four said they’ve gotten high before work.[i]

And this leads to an important question: Is marijuana a benign drug and mostly harmless to users and those in their company?

It’s a common occurrence these days to smell the stench of marijuana just about anywhere. In fact, it even happens at work when employees start their shift, return from a lunch break, or after they’ve been out driving a company vehicle. Unfortunately, sometimes the consequences of employees at work under the influence of marijuana can be tragic.

Consider the hot air balloon accident that occurred in 2021 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The balloon crashed into a power line, causing the basket to detach from the envelope and plummet to the ground. Five people, including the pilot, were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that the crash was, in part, caused by the pilot’s use of cocaine and cannabis.[ii]

The official report stated: “Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s use of impairing, illicit drugs” … “Some impairing effects of THC would likely have been present, that would have affected the pilot’s ability to successfully operate the balloon.”

Quest Diagnostics reported in 2023 that post-accident positive drug tests for marijuana had recently reached a 25-year high. “In 2022, post-accident marijuana positivity of urine drug tests in the general U.S. workforce was 7.3%, an increase of 9% compared to 6.7% in 2021. The new peak follows a steady increase in post-accident marijuana positivity every year from 2012 to 2022. In that 10-year time frame, post-accident marijuana positivity increased 204.2%.”[iii]

While some might argue that marijuana is harmless, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) would disagree.

“Marijuana use can lead to the development of problem use, known as a ‘marijuana use disorder,’ which takes the form of addiction in severe cases. Recent data suggest that 30% of those who use marijuana may have some degree of marijuana use disorder. People who begin using marijuana before the age of 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop a marijuana use disorder than adults.”[iv]

NIDA also offers the following information about the harmful effects of marijuana use:

The Brain. “Substantial evidence from animal research and a growing number of studies in humans indicate that marijuana exposure during development can cause long-term or possibly permanent adverse changes in the brain.”[v]

Heart Health. “Limited evidence suggests that a person’s risk of heart attack during the first hour after smoking marijuana is nearly five times his or her usual risk. This observation could be partly explained by marijuana raising blood pressure (in some cases) and heart rate and reducing the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen.”[vi]

Mental Health. “Considerable—though not all—evidence has linked cannabis use to earlier onset of psychosis in people with genetic risk factors for psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, as well as worse symptoms in people who already have these conditions. Although less consistent, there is also evidence linking cannabis use to other mental illnesses and self-harm, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors.”[vii]

Lung Health. “Marijuana smoking is associated with large airway inflammation, increased airway resistance, and lung hyperinflation, and those who smoke marijuana regularly report more symptoms of chronic bronchitis than those who do not smoke.”[viii]

Even the leading voice for marijuana’s legalization, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, commonly known as NORML, warns that marijuana can have possible harmful effects:

“Nonetheless, cannabis should not necessarily be viewed as a ‘harmless’ substance. Consuming cannabis will alter mood, influence emotions, and temporarily alter perception, so consumers are best advised to pay particular attention to their set (emotional state) and setting (environment) prior to using it. It should not be consumed immediately prior to driving or prior to engaging in tasks that require certain learning skills, such as the retention of new information.”[ix]

Clearing the haze caused by the marijuana legalization movement reveals that marijuana is far from a benign drug. In fact, it can be very dangerous.

[i] 1 in 4 Marijuana Users Get High at Work in States With Legal Weed, Survey Says. Balk, G. (2019). Seattle Times. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/1-in-4-marijuana-users-with-a-job-get-stoned-at-work-survey-says/?fbclid=IwAR2vbGoimd9dGp-ptEXsT0ke7Sh3l1vFbd7hk2_hj3Oa7HPItVIzZss2ATg

[ii] https://www.foxnews.com/us/pilots-drug-use-contributed-to-deadly-new-mexico-hot-air-balloon-crash-ntsb

[iii] Post-Accident Workforce Drug Positivity for Marijuana Reached 25-Year High in 2022, Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index Analysis Finds. Quest Diagnostics. May 2023. https://newsroom.questdiagnostics.com/2023-05-18-Post-Accident-Workforce-Drug-Positivity-for-Marijuana-Reached-25-Year-High-in-2022,-Quest-Diagnostics-Drug-Testing-Index-Analysis-Finds

[iv] Is marijuana addictive? https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive

[v] Ibid.

[vi] Ibid.

[vii] Ibid.

[viii] Ibid.

[ix] Marijuana: A Primer. By Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director. https://norml.org/marijuana/library/marijuana-a-primer/