drug free workplace

Marijuana’s Negative Effects
Construction workers must have full use of their skills and faculties while performing their jobs. Medical marijuana may have positive medical benefits, but there are also well-documented negative effects. Some negative effects to the central nervous system include changes in sensory perception, altered thought formation and expression, short-term memory problems, and impaired thinking and learning. Negative physical effects include impaired motor performance, loss of balance and coordination, decreased attentiveness and alertness, prolonged response time to stimuli and danger, decreased ability to judge distance and space, and impaired ability to perform complex tasks.

According to the Institute for a Drug Free Workplace, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that 50 percent of all on-the-job accidents and up to 40 percent of employee theft is due to drug abuse. The Institute says that drug-abusing employees are absent from work ten times more frequently than their non-using peers, and the turnover rate is 30 percent higher than for those employees who do not engage in abuse of illicit drugs.
Between safety concerns and cost savings, companies are very invested in keeping pot users out of the workplace. Something to think about if Florida ever legalizes marijuana: getting fired is a real buzz kill.

The impact of employee marijuana use is seen in the workplace in lower productivity, increased workplace accidents and injuries, increased absenteeism, and lower morale. This can and does seriously impact the bottom line.