Legalization of medical cannabis reduces absenteeism from work among the over-50s

The enactment of medical cannabis programs in U.S. states is associated with greater attendance at work for adults over 50, according to the findings of a study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a non-partisan American think-tank.

Researchers from the Baltimore School of Public Health and Temple University in Philadelphia analyzed two decades of data from the’Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel survey of Americans aged 50 and over and their spouses, to determine the impact of medical cannabis access laws on participants' health and attendance at work.

The study authors report that «health improvements experienced by both groups (men and women) led to increased labor market participation». Specifically, the researchers determined that the enactment of medical cannabis laws was associated with «a 9.4% increase in probability of employment and an increase between 4.6 and 4.9% in hours worked in the week» among people over 50.

They conclude that «the implementation of medical cannabis legislation leads to an increase in labor supply among older men and women. These effects should be considered when policymakers seek to determine how best to regulate access to medical cannabis».

Previous studies on the impact of medical cannabis legislation on health and welfare considerations report that legalization is associated with a reduction in obesity-related medical costs, a lower mortality and opiate addiction rates and less absenteeism from work.