A flurry of studies and some developments in the Washington Legislature have kept cannabis in the headlines in recent days. State lawmakers are considering employment discrimination protections for cannabis users, while academics have been unearthing both positive and negative information associated with cannabis use.
EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION ADVANCES
The Washington state Senate last week passed a bill that would establish employment protection for cannabis users. Senate Bill 5123, which passed 28-21, would make it unlawful for employers to discriminate based on past cannabis use.
Currently, state law allows for employers to use cannabis drug screening as a reason to deny or terminate employment. The problem is that many of these drug screenings test only for cannabis metabolites, not active intoxication. Someone who consumes cannabis after work on a Friday, for instance, could subsequently fail a screening upon returning to work on Monday. If this bill becomes law, most employers would no longer be allowed to deny or terminate employment in such scenarios.
The legislation now moves to the state House.
TEEN USE ON THE DECLINE
A study conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that cannabis use among high school students nationwide is on the decline. Before the legalization wave began, the CDC found that 23 percent of high school students reported cannabis use in 2011. In 2021, that number had fallen to 16 percent.
The study — the Youth Risk Behavior Survey — is conducted every two years. Its findings show that cannabis use among high school students has been steady or on the decline in five of the six surveys conducted since 2011. The 16 percent number from the 2021 survey is the lowest on record.
CANNABIS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
It's not all good news. A study presented last weekend at the American College of Cardiology found that daily cannabis users are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease than people who used cannabis infrequently.
The study used data from the National Institutes of Health and found that daily users were 34 percent more likely to be diagnosed with coronary artery disease than non-daily users, according to reporting from CNN. Those who consumed cannabis once a month or less were found to be at no elevated risk. ♦
