New study says weed doesn’t cause hangovers, calling into question drug testing of workers

A new study says there’s little evidence people experience hangovers or effects the day after consuming weed. The findings challenge employer policies on drug testing workers and raise the question: if workers are not experiencing lasting effects from THC, why should employers care what workers do the night before a shift?

Although some states have relaxed their guidelines, most states allow employers to test employees for drugs, including cannabis, by law. Workers can be fired or turned down for a job if they have trace levels of weed in their system, regardless of whether someone has a medical marijuana card or uses cannabis for health reasons.

Workplace drug testing has been around since 1986, when the Reagan administration began requiring THC testing for federal employees. Despite legalization across the country, cannabis is still stigmatized in many ways, and the new study challenges drug testing guidelines.

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What does the study say?

The new paper reviews 20 previous studies and found that a “window of impairment” lasts between 3 and 10 hours after cannabis use. Duration was determined by dose, route of administration, and frequency of administration, with higher dose, oral administration (vs. inhalation), and occasional administration resulting in longer durations of action.

The researchers found that cognition and performance were unaffected after this window and found no lasting effects the next day.

“Most studies have found no effects of cannabis use the next day, and the few that have had significant limitations,” said Dr. Danielle McCartney from the University of Sydney in a press release. “Overall, it appears that there is limited scientific evidence to support the claim that cannabis use impairs next-day performance.”

Across the 20 studies, 345 performance tests were conducted, and only 12 tests, or 3.5% of the total, showed adverse effects the day after cannabis use. Despite this, the testing protocols in these studies were not optimal and the studies were conducted more than 18 years ago.

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How do drug tests work?

When employers test workers, any sign of THC is usually enough to fail a test. If you only smoked a joint a few months ago, it may still show up in your system on some tests and you could lose your job due to a drug test.

THC can stay in a person’s system for a long time, and there are several types of drug tests that can be performed on a person:

• Blood – can detect up to 2 weeks
• Saliva – can detect up to 30 days
• Urine – can detect up to 60 days
• Hair follicles – can detect up to 120 days

Everyone’s body processes drugs differently, so there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how long a drug stays in the body. Height (or BMI), metabolism, general health, and frequency of use all play a role in how quickly a body gets rid of a substance.

Some employers test prospective employees as a condition of hiring, and some test employees at random, so employees never know when a test is coming. Many say that urine testing, in particular, can be degrading, as the tester often has to watch the process.

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Impact on workplace drug testing

Two key aspects of performance researchers studied were driving and “safety-related task performance,” which are of particular concern to transportation workers and defense personnel, among others. But even these tasks were not affected by the previous day’s cannabis use.

There has been a labor shortage among truck drivers in recent years, and the new study helps allay concerns about cannabis use for these workers.

“People are advised not to drive or perform other safety-related tasks for 24 hours after using cannabis,” McCartney said. “However, we found little evidence to support this recommendation.”

The researchers also looked at the next-day effects of THC versus alcohol hangovers and found that “a THC “hangover” is likely no more debilitating than an alcohol hangover, which is generally tolerated by drivers and those employed in safety-sensitive positions.” are.”

Drug testing can be an invasion of privacy, and the process of conducting a drug test is often considered demeaning. Drug tests can also be flawed. Many organizations, including the ACLU, say the main safety concerns should be whether a person can perform a task, not necessarily whether they have a drug in their system. There is a lot at stake in drug testing, including a job and a livelihood, and people who use cannabis for health reasons are afraid to give up the plant just to get a job.

“Politicians should keep in mind that implementing very conservative workplace regulations can have serious consequences, such as termination of employment if a drug test is positive,” say the study’s authors. “They can also impact the quality of life of individuals who, for fear of a positive drug test in the workplace or at the roadside, have to forgo medicinal cannabis to treat conditions such as insomnia or chronic pain.”