State-legalized marijuana: The effects on construction safety

As of 2022, nineteen states are allowing the recreational use of marijuana. Workers who test positive for marijuana use have a greater percentage of industrial incidents and are more likely to be absent from work. With nineteen states passing legislation allowing for the possession and use of recreational marijuana, research is needed to determine if these laws have increased work-related injuries, post-incident positive drug tests for marijuana, and increased workers’ compensation claims in the construction industry. There is a reluctance among construction workers to participate in discussing drug and alcohol use. In previous studies, evidence was noted supporting the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse by construction workers. During the literature review, no other studies were found on questions directly related to the construction industry. There are different types of studies, many of limited magnitude, pulling data from extrapolated sources. This research focused directly on the construction industry, with participants from construction company leadership and construction safety professionals. For this study, a quantitative cross-sectional was chosen as the most appropriate method to complete the research based on the structure of the research instrument. Three questions were posed to all respondents. Each bearing directly on marijuana use and construction-related injuries. All data was analyzed using Welch’s t–test for unequal variance and Chi-Square (χ2). Data analysis indicates a correlation between construction site injuries related to the legalization and recreational use of marijuana in states with legalized marijuana laws versus states where marijuana use remains illegal.