New University of Georgia research just put numbers on something a lot of patients already know. States with legal medical cannabis access saw about a 7% drop in health-related sick days. Researchers looked at more than 20 million workers (Census + BLS data, 1990–2025). Recreational laws did not show the same effect.
The biggest gains were in physically demanding jobs: • Manual laborers: ~39% fewer health-related absences
• Machine operators: ~33%
• Health-service workers: ~32%
• Farm workers: ~18%
• Construction: ~10%
Work absences cost U.S. employers an estimated $225 billion a year in lost productivity. The study’s authors say medical access may help people manage pain and other symptoms well enough to stay on the job. This is not a miracle claim. It’s one more data point that access + quality product + responsible use can be part of how people function day to day.
Watch the Fox 5 Atlanta interview with UGA professor Patryk Babiarz:
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/video/fmc-9qw498li359e4elq
What do you think — should more workplaces treat medical cannabis as a health tool instead of a liability?
