1. Selected topics

Substance use and work

With the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, questions have been raised about patterns of cannabis use at work, the use of cannabis to treat work-related injuries, and the implications of such uses for work productivity, workplace health and safety and work disability management. IWH research examines these questions, as well as questions about the use and effectiveness of narcotics or opioids to treat pain, including pain associated with work injuries, and patterns of opioid-related harms among workers.

Featured

A hospital corridor.
Research Highlights

Fatal drug overdoses more common among lower-income and unemployed Canadians

A new IWH study looked at how sociodemographic factors measured by the Canadian census were linked with drug overdose deaths.
Published: March 11, 2026
Image of panel members from the March 2024 Opioids and Work workshop hosted by OCRC and IWH
At Work article

Exploring how workplace solutions can mitigate opioid harms among workers

With the recognition that workplaces can play a part in responding to North America’s opioid crisis, the OCRC and IWH brought together over 100 occupational health specialists, government representatives, union advocates, researchers, and others to discuss how to prevent opioid harms among workers. Presentations, panel discussions and breakout sessions provided a lot of food for thought about the way forward.
Published: May 2024
A man with his head in his hand looks at a row of empty pill bottles
Research Highlights

Workers who had a work-related injury have higher risk of opioid-related harms than the general population in Ontario

An IWH study examined how opioid harms in a large group of Ontario workers who had a work-related injury compared to harms in the general Ontario population. They found that the workers had higher risks of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for opioid-related harms. This pattern was seen across most occupations and industries within this group of workers.
Published: April 2024
Journal article
Journal article

Occupational patterns of opioid-related harms comparing a cohort of formerly injured workers to the general population in Ontario, Canada

Published: Canadian Journal of Public Health, April 2024
OHS Canada logo
IWH in the media

‘Unprecedented public health crisis’: Pioneering research studies links between workplaces, opioid harms

Dr. Nancy Carnide and Dr. Jeavana Sritharan were keynote presenters at the Opioids in the Workplace virtual event from OHS Canada and Talent Canada on Jan. 31 that attracted nearly 350 professionals. Their research, a collaborative effort between IWH and the Occupational Cancer Research Centre, offers a revealing look at the occupational patterns in opioid-related harms in Ontario and underscores the urgent need for intervention strategies tailored to the working population, writes Todd Humber.
Published: OHS Canada, February 2024
Journal article
Journal article

An observational study of pain severity, cannabis use, and benefit expenditures in work disability

Published: Canadian Journal of Public Health, January 2024
Canadian Occupational Safety logo
IWH in the media

Shining a light on opioid epidemic's link to the workplace

There is a new tool shedding light on opioid-related incidents among Ontario workers. The Opioids and Work Data Tool was developed through a collaboration between the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC), Shane Mercer reports.
Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, December 2023
NSC Safety + Health
IWH in the media

Injured workers are using cannabis to self-medicate, study shows

Most workers who use cannabis to treat work-related injuries and illnesses do so without medical guidance or authorization, a recent study out of Canada suggests. This article summarizes findings from the Institute's Ontario Life After Work Injury Study. It found 27.4 per cent of the workers reported using cannabis in the past year. Of that group, 14.1 per cent did so to ease symptoms stemming from a work-related condition, with the majority (67.3 per cent) not receiving guidance on therapeutic cannabis use from a health care provider.
Published: Safety + Health, October 2023
A man speaks with a female doctor in scrubs who holds a clipboard
Research Highlights

Workers are using cannabis to treat work-related conditions, mostly without medical guidance

While cannabis is often used recreationally, there is growing interest in its use for therapeutic purposes, such as for pain, anxiety, depression and sleep problems. Some workers are using cannabis many months following the onset of a work-related condition, whether to treat their condition or for other reasons, mostly without medical guidance.
Published: October 2023
Benefits and Pensions Monitor logo
IWH in the media

Cannabis use during work raises workplace injury odds, research shows

A study by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) has shed light on the association between cannabis use and work injury risk. As reported by Ada Tabanao, by distinguishing between on-the-job cannabis consumption and off-duty use, researchers found a significant difference in injury risks.
Published: Benefits and Pensions Monitor, August 2023
News release
News release

Only cannabis use at or before work linked with higher work injury risks

Published: July 2023