Young workers’ injuries rise after recreational marijuana sales made legal

After states legalize the sale of weed for recreational use, on-the-job injuries rise among younger workers, new research shows.

U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics for 2006 through 2020 show that legal “recreational marijuana sales were associated with a 10% increase in workplace injuries among individuals aged 20 to 34 years,” the study authors concluded.

They note that prior research involving older workers did not show this effect. In fact, older workers’ injury rates typically decline after recreational weed is made legal in their state, perhaps because older folk are only using their marijuana to ease pain.

In contrast, the rise in injury among younger workers may be because “marijuana use diminishes workers’ cognitive functioning or acts as a gateway to harder drugs,” the researchers theorized.

The study was published in JAMA Health Forum and co-led by Dr. Joseph Sabia, chair of the economics…