An examination of non-addictive drug (mis)use and work absenteeism

Abstract

This article mainly examines the effect(s) of legal drug misuse on work absenteeism, which has a connecting influence to work productivity. Also, the analysis compares the effects of legal drug use (e.g., tranquilizers) on work absences to that of a commonly used, but illegal drug, marijuana. Utilizing a large dataset from the NSDUH (National Survey on Drug Use and Health), and controlling for several demographic and labor market-related variables, our results indicate that legal drug use (for nonmedical reasons) leads to an increase in work absenteeism, as does marijuana. In some instances, legal drug use has a greater effect on work absenteeism that does marijuana.

Joint effects: Where and How the Frequency of Cannabis Use Shapes the Relationship between Employee Mental Health and Sickness Absenteeism

“…For example, an alternative explanation could be that sickness absenteeism antecedes mental health, such that missing work worsens symptoms of depression or anxiety, contingent upon frequency and location of cannabis use. Although we are limited in drawing directional conclusions due to the cross-sectional nature CANNABIS USE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND ABSENTEEISM of our study, research does suggest that sickness absence is an outcome, rather than an antecedent of both mental health and cannabis use (Austin et al, 2020;Narusyte et al, 2022;Torvik et al, 2016). Therefore, we believe our study is an important contribution to understanding how cannabis use frequency and mental health interact in determining sickness absence.…”

“…We take the first attempt to consider how the individual factor of mental health and the environmental component of legalization status interact with the frequency of cannabis use to predict sickness absence. This contribution allows us to move beyond the main effect of substance use on sickness absence presumed in previous research (e.g., Austin et al, 2020).…”

“…Cannabis is often considered harmful for employees and is commonly examined with regards to safety and performance (e.g., Yesavage et al 1985), involuntary turnover (Airagnes et al, 2019;Normand et al, 1990), and missed work (Austin et al, 2020;Normand et al, 1990). Indeed, scholars recognize that "absenteeism is the most consistently documented organizational outcome related to employee substance use" (Frone, 2008, p. 530).…”

“…Although previous research has considered whether cannabis is legal in the employees' state of residence as a control variable in the relationship between cannabis use and sickness absence (Austin et al, 2020), the legality of cannabis has yet to be considered a substantive moderator of the relationships between cannabis use and sickness absence.…”

“…We controlled for demographic factors of age, sex (0 = female, 1 = male), and race/ethnicity (0 = White, 1 = Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, or Alaskan Native) in the analyses, as previous research has found these variables are related both to the number of sick days employees take (Austin et al, 2020;Sexton & Schumann, 1985;Vistnes, 1997) and to precarious employment (e.g., Albelda et al, 2020;Kalleberg, 2009). Controlling for these factors may help rule out an alternate hypothesis that workers who feel their employment is more precarious experience more mental health symptoms, influencing their sickness absence.…”