New Study Investigates Health Hazards for Cannabis Workers

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences are investigating potential health hazards faced by workers in cannabis production, Cascadia Daily reports.

The study is federally funded and supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The study was prompted in part by multiple cannabis industry fatalities caused by work-related asthma.

“The cannabis industry is pretty understudied historically because it is a Schedule I drug. To our knowledge, we’re the first study that’s looking into these things. It’s a pretty ground-breaking study.” — UW PhD student Callan Krevanko, lead field researcher for the study, via Cascadia Daily

Researchers have partnered for the study with Subdued Excitement, or SubX, a Ferndale-based cannabis producer and processor. The research team spent a week in the lab in November, monitoring air quality and performing health tests on the workers.

In addition to their work with SubX, the researchers hope to partner with about 10 other cannabis facilities in Washington and get over 100 cannabis production workers tested to get an ideal sample size for the study.

Meanwhile, last year in Missouri, a jury awarded $3 million in damages to a cannabis consultant who experienced a career-ending asthma attack while helping build out a cannabis laboratory in 2022. During the incident, a lab technician accidentally mishandled a commercial vacuum and blew fine cannabis particles into the air.