Analyzing data from the Current Population Survey (a survey of ~60,000 U.S. households conducted by the Census Bureau), researchers published a study -- The Effect of Medical Marijuana on Sickness Absence -- in Health Economics that looked at absences due to illness finding workplace absences declined following the legalization of medical marijuana.

Key Findings:

• Workplace absences due to sickness decline following legalization of medical cannabis.

• The effect is stronger in states with ‘lax’ medical marijuana regulations, for full-time workers, and for middle-aged males, which is the group most likely to hold medical marijuana cards.

The study was partially motivated by a previous study which found that alcohol consumption declined following medical marijuana legalization.

Because many individuals claim cannabis helps relieve symptoms often associated with workplace absences, researchers hypothesized that states with legal clinical cannabis would see a decrease in workplace absences, a hypothesis that appears to be confirmed by the study.

The findings run contrary to the popular mythology that easy access to cannabis will turn people into lazy stoners more likely to miss work.

Read the study.