(Reuters Health) – Legalizing access to medical marijuana may lead to fewer workers’ compensation claims, a U.S. study suggests. In states with laws allowing medical marijuana, researchers tied the accessibility of cannabis to a nearly 7% decline in workers’ comp claims. When there were claims, they were for shorter periods of time, on average, after medical marijuana was legalized, according to the analysis in Health Economics. To look at the potential impact of medical marijuana legalization on workers’ comp claims, Maclean and her coauthor turned to data from the Census Bureau’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey in 1990-2013. When the data were analyzed, the researchers found a 6.7% decrease in claims when medical marijuana was legally available.

Source: National Post February 07, 2020 21:22 UTC