The University of Washington has led a special initiative to investigate workplace risks associated with the cannabis industry, and they’ve found a particularly chaotic landscape when it comes to worker protections. Because the federal government still hasn’t legalized pot, there’s no national guidance on protecting the safety of employees, leading to a patchwork of protections from state to state and a rise in occupational hazards like falls and asthma.
“The reality is workers are working in this industry, whether the federal government agrees with it or not,” says Christopher Simpson, professor in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. “Federal agencies really have a responsibility to protect these workers.”
Around 250,000 people are estimated to work in the industry, and researchers found dangers associated with “particulate matter, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, mold, dust and secondhand smoke,” as well as ergonomic injuries. That’s certainly not unique to this particular industry — many of the hazards are similar to those of other manufacturing and agricultural jobs — but there simply hasn’t been much research into whether there are unique risks posed by working with pot.