Cannabis is known to enhance creativity for musicians and artists, but it’s unknown how it affects nine-to-five jobs. Now that the drug is legal in many US states and Canada, research is being conducted to find out how it affects people’s productivity and behavior at work.
The latest study investigated how using cannabis at different times of the day can affect people’s ability to meet their job requirements and complete assignments, along with their attitude toward work and their behavior toward colleagues.
The results showed that using the drug after work did not affect any of these measures of workplace performance the next day. However, when people used marijuana before and during work, they did not perform so well, including:
- Affecting their ability to carry out tasks
- Affecting their concentration
- Reducing their ability to solve problems
- It harmed “citizenship behavior” and how likely they were to help colleagues or work in a team.
- Increased counterproductive behavior, such as daydreaming on the job or taking excessive time to complete a task.
- Reduces people’s motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and reaction times.
Similar to alcohol, where consuming a beer compared to a spirit will affect the speed of intoxication and the impact it has on functioning, the effect of cannabis will also vary depending on the product.
The study doesn’t provide details on how much and what kind of cannabis the participants consumed, just that they used it after, during, or before work. Therefore, the researchers know little about the point that the consumption of cannabis starts to disturb work performance negatively. Regardless, it challenges the stereotypes of cannabis users as being lazy and unmotivated.
When a person is smoking hash, it does not necessarily mean that they will be less productive at work. Further research is needed to understand how different strains and forms of cannabis impact productivity. It’s also important for employers to establish clear policies and guidelines regarding cannabis use in the workplace.
Research into the effects of alcohol consumption on work performance, on the other hand, is much more extensive. Drinking after work and heavy drinking, in general, negatively affects work in several ways, including more significant levels of absence, inappropriate behavior, more flawed relationships with work colleagues, and reduced productivity.
This new study, while limited, is a significant step forward in exploring the effects of cannabis on society. An estimated 20% of Americans are thought to have used cannabis, while in Europe, it remains the most popular drug after alcohol. Marijuana is known to help people relax and reduce stress, so it’s likely to be an appealing antidote to a stressful day at work.
