Cannabis for Mental Health in the Workplace – How Canada is showing us the way

Cannabis has been a legal psychoactive substance in Canada since 2018. Since then, we’ve seen reforms so advanced that some jobs now allow cannabis use during office hours.

Seeing cannabis and the workplace in the same sentence may seem strange. However, it is the truth. Not all cannabis strains make the consumer couch-bound; some actually induce a productive streak. It is commendable that some establishments have chosen to take advantage of this fact.

Photo by Matthew Henry on Burst

Some companies may soon allow a strain of cannabis to be consumed during office hours, but this is only possible if it has been demonstrated that the strain has very little effect on reducing productivity levels.

It could be a challenge for small and large companies on an international scale. But there is still a long way to go before all of this can happen.

Other companies still have the right to zero tolerance for drugs, but they have no right to declare that a worker should not be given a stone in his spare time.

There will come a time when cannabis use will be equated with alcohol in social contexts. By then, Canada will have a very balanced system in which all workplaces can have policies on safety and other liability issues.

Some of these guidelines could include “no smoking on duty”, “don’t get stoned at work”, “smoke as much as you want when away from work”, etc.

RELATED: An Essential Legal Marijuana Guide for U.S. Employers – Here are the Rules

In the workplace, the rules banning cannabis are much more opaque than those on alcohol. While excessive consumption of either can limit a worker’s performance.

Some organizations have begun to actively participate in the cannabis prosecution in Canada. These organizations are in because they believe cannabis has the potential to improve the mental health and productivity of workers in the various companies in Canada.

Photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash

This article is limited to the three most active organizations:

• Canadian Mental Health Commission (CMHC)
• CanaQuest Medical Corp.
• Canadian Cannabis Dispute Settlement Center

Canadian Mental Health Commission

CMHC is a facility charged with researching the relationship between Canadian mental health and cannabis use. They also examine existing work and explore the links between cannabis use and mental health.

From their research, they found, in part, that cannabis improves the mental health of Canadians in their workplace. They lead the indictment of investigating specific forms of cannabinoid use to find out how they can affect productivity in the workplace. There is still a lot of research going on and the existing cannabis reforms in the country make the process really smooth.

CMHC believes that the decriminalization of cannabis in Canada enables the country to become a leading force in cannabis and mental health research.

RELATED: The End of Pre-Hiring Drug Testing Doesn’t Mean You Still Can’t Get Fired For Marijuana

According to their findings, the Canadian Mental Health Commission (CMHC) has estimated the economic burden of mental health problems in the workplace at a staggering $ 52 billion a year. 40% of this amount is associated with a loss of productivity. It is not uncommon for chronic pain to be one of the likely consequences of mental health problems.

Photo by Lucian Novosel via Unsplash

That is, there is a relationship between mental and physical health. Poor mental health can manifest itself in mood disorders or other forms of physical pain.

In 2017, CHMC conducted a survey of Canadian tobacco, drug and alcohol use. They reported that over 37% of marijuana users use drugs for medical purposes.

Several companies maintain their stance that all forms of cannabis use affect a worker’s ability to work efficiently in the workplace. They believe that marijuana decreases the person’s productivity in the workplace. Some have persistent prejudices that make them doubt whether their employees are really using for medical reasons.

CanaQuest Medical Corp and Canadian Cannabis Dispute Resolution Center

These organizations are partners in raising awareness of the benefits of cannabis. These are educational communities, corporations, workers, and employers participating in cannabis-related programs that can help Canadian businesses increase their productivity and, in turn, increase their revenues.

CCDRC is a national body that develops cannabis-related educational materials for home and internal use. These materials are designed to improve the various industries as well as industry associations.

Photo by Brooke Cagle via Unsplash

CannaQuest is a pharmaceutical company that infuses cannabinoid compounds and other botanical molecules. The company focuses on developing cannabis medicines that can be used to treat mental disorders such as depression, addiction, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety.

The partnership between CannaQuest and CCDRC is backed by science-based evidence and published data from the renowned Dr. Steven Laviolette and his team work in Canada. Dr. Laviolette is the man for the job because he and his team studied the effects of CBD on mental health and overall wellbeing.

Thanks to extensive research by CannaQuest Medical Corp, many wellness-oriented drugs and nutraceuticals have been made available to the Canadian population. These products have little to very little intoxicating effects. They have been tested in the diverse Canadian population.

Because of this, they are ready to lead the mental health cannabis charge in Canadian workplaces.

Change is inevitable

Changes cannot be avoided, who would have thought that the whole world has already adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian companies need to embrace change and take steps that create a safe work environment for their employees.

With the involvement of these three organizations, companies can better be provided with cannabis dissolution guidelines that address workers who need the drug to improve mental health.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.