For many years cannabis consumers were stereotyped as lazy, unproductive, and burnt out.
This was all part of the harmful stigma that fueled prohibition.
The truth is that people from all backgrounds and levels of society enjoy the medical benefits of cannabis.
NORML estimates that 25-30 million Americans consume cannabis on a regular basis.
And it turns out, many cannabis patients are less likely to miss work when incorporating this herb into their lives.
Employee Absenteeism Down in Medical Cannabis States
A 2016 study actually found that medical cannabis legalization at the state level is followed by a significant drop in employees calling in sick to work in those states.
The study, released by Health Economics, found that:
“Absences due to sickness decline following the legalization of medical marijuana.”
And also:
“The effect is stronger in states with ‘lax’ medical marijuana regulations, for full-time workers, and for middle-aged males…”
How much of a decline?
According to the study, ‘respondents were 8% less likely to report being absent from work due to health issues’ after medical cannabis legalization.
Older medical cannabis states saw a decline by as much as 13%.
That’s an outstanding statistic.
This Obliterates the Stoner Stereotype
The fact of the matter is, you can be a productive person AND consume cannabis because this plant is a wonderful medicine.
Consuming cannabis for wellness purposes in addition to aiding in the healing process is an effective form of prevention and treatment.
Opponents will try as hard as they can to make it sound like those things can’t co-exist, but they obviously can.
I’m living proof of that myself. I very, very rarely call in sick to work.
That’s because I take my health seriously and use medical cannabis early and often!
For a lot of people, cannabis is the only reason they are able to get out of bed and function.
Cannabis is an effective, safe form of medicine, so an employer should not care if an employee medicates, most especially during their personal time.
Cannabis is medicine, and its legalization is good for society in more ways than one!
The reported drop in employee absenteeism is no doubt a harbinger of greater benefits to come in this brave new cannabis universe.
