{"id":11255,"date":"2026-10-27T00:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T00:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cannabis.net\/blog\/news\/everyone-is-at-work-today-why-legal-weed-is-the-real-reason-your-coworkers-stopped-calling-in-s"},"modified":"2026-10-27T00:47:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T00:47:00","slug":"everyone-is-at-work-today-why-legal-weed-is-the-real-reason-your-coworkers-stopped-calling-in-sick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/everyone-is-at-work-today-why-legal-weed-is-the-real-reason-your-coworkers-stopped-calling-in-sick\/","title":{"rendered":"Everyone is at Work Today? Why Legal Weed is the Real Reason Your Coworkers Stopped Calling in Sick"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/everyone-is-at-work-today-why-legal-weed-is-the-real-reason-your-coworkers-stopped-calling-in-sick\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/everyone-is-at-work-today-why-legal-weed-is-the-real-reason-your-coworkers-stopped-calling-in-sick.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"no calling in sick with cannabis\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/everyone-is-at-work-today-why-legal-weed-is-the-real-reason-your-coworkers-stopped-calling-in-sick-1.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Legal Weed Could Be the Reason Your Coworkers <a href=\"https:\/\/cannabis.net\/blog\/b2b\/the-impact-of-cannabis-on-workplace-sick-days.649018\">Stopped Calling in Sick<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now this is a workplace plot twist that we didn\u2019t see coming!<\/p>\n<p>For a long time, <a href=\"https:\/\/cannabis.net\/blog\/opinion\/social-services-stigma-cannabis-and-employment-programs\">office jobs<\/a> and cannabis culture were always on opposite sides, not parts of life that you put together. After all, work was something you just had to do because it paid the bills, while weed was something that we (used to) keep quiet about, most especially in the workplace.<\/p>\n<p>Weed in the workplace continued to be a divisive topic: while medical cannabis use could help make <a href=\"https:\/\/cannabis.net\/blog\/news\/massive-increase-in-us-jobs-and-why-is-cannabis-not-legal-in-every-state\">jobs<\/a> more tolerable for people living with chronic pain and other conditions, many companies around the United States refused to get rid of drug testing, or still kept a discriminatory stance towards cannabis use even if it was legal statewide.<\/p>\n<p>Since cannabis is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government, many companies preferred to play it safe, even if they could eliminate drug testing completely if they wanted to. According to the SAHMSA and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/\">US Department of Transportation<\/a>, ordinary private businesses and offices could remove drug testing except federal contractors, airlines, commercial trucking and other federally regulated jobs that are safety-sensitive.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, some <a href=\"https:\/\/cannabis.net\/blog\/opinion\/why-cannabis-use-should-be-irrelevant-when-hiring-employees\">employees<\/a> may have felt the need to call in sick more often, especially those who felt like their cannabis use wasn\u2019t welcome. Calling in sick may have been a last resort for those who needed to medicate, and avoid disciplinary action or scrutiny in the workplace.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Times Have Changed<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, times have changed.<\/p>\n<p>According to recent data from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blackenterprise.com\/workers-test-positive-marijuana-hiring\/\">Quest Diagnostics<\/a>, published in https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/, almost half of employers have dropped drug testing for candidates, even though more employees test positive during job screenings.<\/p>\n<p>The data shows that approximately 4.4% of 8 million urine-based drug tests in the workplace yielded positive results for cannabis, an increase from 3.9% in 2021. Meanwhile, the use of hair testing, which can detect drug use for a much longer period of time, revealed a sharp increase as well. They found that 15% of hair tests were positive for weed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarijuana positivity increased 11.8% (5.15 in 2021 versus 5.7% in 2022) in states in which recreational marijuana is legal and 8.3% (3.6% in 2021 versus 3.9% in 2022) in states in which medical marijuana is legal,\u201d reported Quest Diagnostics.<\/p>\n<p>This is largely due to softening attitudes towards weed use, and finally, workplace cultures are beginning to follow. With 2 dozen states already legalizing recreational use of weed, and 41 more having a solid medical marijuana program in place, it\u2019s about time.<\/p>\n<p>Weed is simply something that has become a part of our everyday life, whether we like it or not, which is why more employers are wondering if it\u2019s worth testing for weed before employment, in this day and age. You could risk getting your ideal applicant who could do the job and surpass your expectations, just because they flopped the weed test.<\/p>\n<p>For many businesses, it boils down to hiring: According to a 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fisherphillips.com\/en\/insights\/insights\/fp-flash-survey-reveals-more-employers-are-testing-applicants-for-cannabis-than-two-years-ago\">Fisher Phillips survey<\/a>, 40% of employers said that they no longer screen cannabis during the pre-hiring process, which is a reduction from their 48% findings from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fisherphillips.com\/en\/insights\/insights\/fp-flash-survey-reveals-half-dont-test-applicants-for-cannabis\">2024 survey<\/a>. Their findings suggest a shift in how employers view the labor market. Interestingly, survey participants who said they struggled finding qualified applicants due to drug testing policies dropped from 44% down to 38%. They also cited talent acquisition as well as retention were reasons that they chose not to test.<\/p>\n<p>Employers had to learn the hard way that imposing blanket pre-employment drug tests resulted in the disqualification of a huge number of otherwise qualified job applicants.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, dropping these drug tests have helped employers widen the pool of applicants, and, not surprisingly, it\u2019s also helped speed up hiring.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t hurt that there\u2019s a growing number of state laws that also protect applicants by prohibiting pre-employment cannabis testing, some going as far as imposing penalties for employers who punish applicants for consuming cannabis while off-duty.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, <a href=\"http:\/\/report\">legal cannabis<\/a> might not be the only reason your colleagues could have stopped calling in sick.<\/p>\n<p>Changing perceptions towards cannabis use are certainly contributing. Once employees are no longer forced to choose between their medical or recreational needs versuse their livelihoods, they will have much less reasons to hide or feel anxious about their employment.<\/p>\n<p>However, this shouldn\u2019t mean that all employees are free to get high at work. Absolutely not.<\/p>\n<p>We do believe that drug testing does have a time and a place, especially in certain industries. These include safety-sensitive jobs, especially those that involve heavy machinery, public safety, transportation, and other similar roles. These jobs have legitimate reasons to impose strict policies in the workplace, including routine drug tests.<\/p>\n<p>Employers now have to face a more important question: is blanket cannabis drug testing actually helping you build a more productive workforce, or does it merely push qualified applicants out the door? As we see cannabis become increasingly normal in society, businesses that refuse to let go of outdated assumptions will end up risking their talented people to competitors who are willing to take a more modern, practical approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>SICK DAYS AND CANNABIS LEGALIZATION, READ ON&#8230;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cannabis.net\/blog\/b2b\/the-impact-of-cannabis-on-workplace-sick-days.649018\"><img alt=\"SICK DAYS AND WEED USE\" src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/everyone-is-at-work-today-why-legal-weed-is-the-real-reason-your-coworkers-stopped-calling-in-sick-2.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cannabis.net\/blog\/b2b\/the-impact-of-cannabis-on-workplace-sick-days.649018\"><strong>SICK DAYS DROP WHEN MORE PEOPLE USE CANNABIS?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Legal Weed Could Be the Reason Your Coworkers Stopped Calling in Sick Now this is a workplace plot twist that we didn\u2019t see coming! For a long time, office jobs and cannabis culture were always on opposite sides, not parts of life that you put together. After all, work was something you just had to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9,1,3,61,1736],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11255"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11255\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}