Substance use and work

The federal government’s commitment to legalize recreational marijuana by July 1, 2018 raises occupational health and safety concerns for many employers. At the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), we have been reviewing the effects of various drugs that act on the central nervous system — including marijuana — on workplace injuries, deaths and near-misses, write IWH's Dr. Andrea Furlan and Dr. Nancy Carnide. What is striking is how little high-quality evidence there is on the impacts of marijuana in the workplace and how inconsistent the existing data is.

Published: The Conversation, January 2018

Once recreational cannabis use becomes legal, taking a “smoke break” at work could suddenly become much more complicated, writes Cassandra Szklarski of the Canadian Press. The Institute for Work & Health's Dr. Andrea Furlan and Dr. Nancy Carnide are among those interviewed.

Published: National Post, December 2017

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada came closer to reality on April 13, when the Justin Trudeau government introduced the Cannabis Act, or Bill C-45. While pot users across the country applaud the move, others have raised concerns about the effect that the proposed legislation would have on workplace safety, writes Jeff Cottrill in an article that quotes the Institute for Work & Health's Dr. Andrea Furlan.

Published: OHS Canada, August 2017

Published: Clinical Journal of Pain, July 2017

IWH is leading a systematic review to determine the level and quality of research evidence on the association between workers’ use of agents that act on the central nervous system (e.g. opioids, cannabis) and the risk of workplace injury, reinjury, near misses and death, including outcomes affecting co-workers and others in the immediate workplace.

Status: Completed 2019

IWH opioid and chronic pain expert, Dr. Andrea Furlan, helps shape new rules in her role on drug advisory committee.

Published: December 2014

IWH led a multi-partner team in a systematic review that sought to answer this question: What are the existing strategies, frameworks, collaborative networks and materials that promote the appropriate use of prescription opioids and/or to reduce the abuse of these drugs?

Status: Completed 2017

Work on Canadian opioid guideline in turn leads to development of opioid management tool and helps launch IWH scientist's profile as opioid expert.

Published: July 2012

Do opioids prescribed in the early weeks of a new workers’ compensation lost-time claim for low-back pain result in prolonged work disability? This was one of the questions asked by an IWH research team looking at the opioid prescription patterns with respect to low-back pain.

Status: Completed 2017