Almost One in Three Professionals Admit to Cannabis Use at Work
Companies might have another concern to navigate: drug use.
Nearly one in three professionals (29%) have used cannabis while working in the office or at home in the last three months, according to a survey of 2,514 professionals in the U.S. by the professional social network Blind.
“I have spent most of my pandemic high,” said a verified software engineer from the online home retailer Wayfair. “[I] haven’t noticed it affect[ing] my performance that much… most of the work on my plate was simple enough anyway.”
More than one in four professionals at Wayfair (28%) admitted to recent cannabis use in Blind’s survey.
While some said their cannabis use was social or recreational, others pointed to how they believe it has helped their careers.
“I use it recreationally to be more focused,” a verified MathWorks professional said in a discussion about professionals’ use of cannabis on Blind. “I find technical topics… much more enjoyable and insightful with that focus. [It] helps me think more abstractly.”
“I’ve smoked with many directors and even two VPs in my company,” a verified startup professional recalled on Blind, adding that cannabis use had helped them “make great connections over a joint and always leads to a positive change in relationship.”
Who is using cannabis in the workplace?
Half or more of the professionals surveyed by Blind at Robinhood and Splunk (73%) have recently taken cannabis for medical or non-medical purposes, according to Blind.
Perhaps surprisingly, many workers in the heavily regulated financial services industry also reported consuming cannabis. One in three professionals surveyed at Bloomberg, Capital One and Goldman Sachs said “yes,” when asked about use in the last three months, while 44% at JPMorgan Chase and 45% at Better.com answered the same in Blind’s survey.
Apple, Coinbase and ServiceNow were among the companies with the fewest number of employees who coughed up to cannabis use in the last three months.
Cannabis in the workplace
Cannabis use remains a tricky subject in the workplace.
The use or possession of cannabis is illegal under federal law in the U.S., and many states and locales have enacted laws that decriminalize or tolerate use or possession.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, a professional association for human resources professionals, “courts have begun siding with workers who say their off-duty use of cannabis for medical reasons led to their unfair dismissal.” Courts have also sided with cannabis users for failing workplace drug tests for job applicants in certain states and municipalities.
With a confusing patchwork of local, state and federal laws to navigate, some workplaces might have given up. As a result, employees are often left confused about their company’s policies.
The overwhelming majority of professionals surveyed by Blind seemed unsure when asked. Blind found fewer than one in four professionals in the U.S. (23%) said their workplace has a drug-testing program.
In contrast, professionals at Oracle and Rivian were unanimous in believing their companies did not have a workplace drug-testing regime.
The bottom line
Cannabis use is associated with calm, yet it might be anything but for some human resources professionals and business leaders. A survey from the professional social network Blind found that nearly one in three professionals in the U.S. has used cannabis while working in the office or at home in the last three months. And many workers are unsure about their company’s workplace drug-testing or substance use policies.
Methodology
Blind conducted an online survey of 2,514 verified professionals in the U.S. on its platform from April 12 to 13, 2022, to understand the use of cannabis among workers.
Survey respondents answered “yes” or “no” to the following questions:
- To the best of your knowledge, does your workplace have a drug-testing program?
- Have you used cannabis for medical or non-medical purposes while working in the office or at home in the last three months?