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
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
IWH Speaker Series
Using cannabis to manage symptoms of work-related injuries: Experiences of injured workers in Ontario
Published: February 24, 2026
Project
Project
Strategies to support the appropriate use of prescription opioids: a systematic review
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
Impact case study
IWH expertise key to opioid guideline, tool development
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
Project
Project
Understanding the use and impact of early opioid prescriptions for work-related low-back pain
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