By Bill Current, President & Founder

Believing in Marijuana: Throwing Good Faith After Bad

This information is provided for educational purposes only. Reader retains full responsibility for the use of the information contained herein.

Faith, Marijuana, and the Dangerous Illusion of Safety

Faith!

Whether you’re a religious person or not, life is all about having faith.

We have faith that people will stay on their side of the road when we pass each other in our cars… that the meal we order in a restaurant has been prepared by cooks who wash their hands after using the restroom… that my internet connection will work for the entirety of a college championship football game (Congrats Indiana!).

Faith in Food Safety and Consumer Standards

When we go to the grocery store, we make buying decisions based on faith. We’re exercising faith that the meat we buy has passed mandatory federal inspections for safety and wholesomeness by the Food Safety and Inspection Service FSIS or the milk we buy meets the FDA’s Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO).

Later at home, we don’t think twice when preparing our food because we have faith that our supplier, the grocery store, has done everything legally required or voluntarily expected to ensure that our food is safe to consume. That’s the beauty of living in a country with standards designed to protect consumers.

Marijuana Is the Exception to the Rule

None of that applies to marijuana.

Whether legally purchased or acquired from your local drug dealer, there are no consistent government standards that are being observed to ensure the quality, safety, and accuracy of labeling when it comes to marijuana. We are living in the wild, wild west of the age of legal pot.

There are no inspections, no safeguards, and no assurances that the marijuana sold legally at a local dispensary is any different than the marijuana illegally sold on the corner.

There’s nothing to have faith in.

Marijuana Use and Health Risks

Marijuana has been linked to myriad health issues. In 2019, in a press conference to announce a new marijuana advisory, former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned:

“While the perceived harm of marijuana is decreasing, the scary truth is that the actual potential for harm is increasing,”.[i]

Consider that in light of the fact that Americans are consuming more marijuana than ever and the marijuana they are using is far more potent than ever.

That warning becomes even more concerning when you consider two key facts:

1. Americans are consuming more marijuana than ever
2. The marijuana being used today is far more potent than in the past

Conclusion? Marijuana bad!

Marijuana vs. Alcohol: A False Comparison

But most states have legalized it, if not for so-called recreational use than certainly for medicinal use. As such it can be purchased legally through state-licensed private businesses just like alcohol from a state-licensed liquor store.

They’re exactly the same, right?

Wrong!

Unlike marijuana, alcohol is heavily regulated at the federal, state, and local levels, covering:

• Production
• Labeling and advertising
• Sales and distribution
• Age restrictions

These regulations exist to ensure transparency in product information, prevent deception, and control consumption.

Marijuana has none of this at the federal level.

You Don’t Know What You’re Getting at a Dispensary

The truth is, with marijuana you don’t know what you’re getting when you buy from a legal dispensary. They may say the marijuana they sell is clean and safe, but there is no way to know that it’s true. There’s nothing about the process to motivate you to have faith in the product you’re buying.

A Real-World Example: Contaminated Marijuana

Consider the case of Anne Hassel, a 56-year-old resident of Massachusetts.

Hassel purportedly purchased her marijuana legally and used it in accordance with the state law, which allows so-called recreational marijuana use. But the weed she consumed was anything but safe.

According to a report published by several media outlets, she said she “developed twitching muscles, numbness in her feet, nausea and cramps after using marijuana, only for doctors to find high levels of nickel, lead and cadmium.”

“People consider that if it’s legal, it’s safe. It’s a complete fallacy,” she told the Wall Street Journal.[ii] According to the report, Hassel says she quit using marijuana because of the risk of contamination.

The Misinformation Problem Around Marijuana

So, if marijuana is neither benign nor non-addictive (as some advocates of legalization claim) and use can lead to numerous health issues, and legally purchased marijuana can contain harmful chemicals, then why use it?

First of all, there is a lot of misinformation about marijuana that may result in some people concluding that it’s safe to use, especially compared to other illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin.

• According to the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH): 83.2% of people perceive great risk from weekly cocaine use, and
• 9% perceive great risk from heroin, but…
• Only 25% perceive great risk from smoking marijuana once or twice a week[iii]

That perception gap has consequences.

Marijuana Use and Workplace Safety Risks

This is bad news for employers, especially those who have discontinued testing for marijuana.

According to the 2025 Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index (DTI):

• Marijuana remains the most frequently detected substance in the general U.S. workforce
• Marijuana positivity held steady at 5% year over year
• Post-accident positivity was 7.3% in 2024, near record highs^[iv]

When an employer juxtaposes the average cost of a workers’ compensation claim, which is $44,179 or $90,914 when it involves a motor vehicle crash^[v] with the fact that post-accident positivity for marijuana reached a 25-years high in Quest’s 2023 report^[vi] and remained at about the same level in their 2025 report, testing for marijuana makes a lot of sense.

Who Really Pays the Price?

And when employees misplace their faith in legally purchased marijuana, get seriously ill, like Anne Hassel, and miss work for an extended period of time it is their employers and non-marijuana using coworkers who pay the price.

Conclusion: Misplaced Faith Has Consequences

The dictionary defines faith as having “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.”

To completely trust that the marijuana one purchases legally is safe to use is dangerous and reckless.

And for employers to have faith that marijuana users will perform to the same level as their non-marijuana using employees is also misplaced faith. The data just does not support that misplaced faith.

Marijuana using employees are more likely, compared to their non-using co-workers to:

• Be involved in a workplace accident
• File a workers’ compensation claim
• Miss work
• Have more than one employer per year.

What’s that old expression? “Throwing good faith after bad” or something like that.

Do you have questions about marijuana laws that impact the workplace? Stay current when you subscribe to our database, CurrentCompliance.org and be current on state drug testing laws here.

[i] U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain.  https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/addiction-and-substance-misuse/advisory-on-marijuana-use-and-developing-brain/index.html

[ii] For Marijuana Users, Even Legalization Doesn’t Guarantee Safety. Washington Post. Feb. 20, 2024. By Stephanie Armour. https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/for-marijuana-users-even-legalization-doesnt-guarantee-safety-ef1660a5

[iii] National Survey on Drug Use and Health. SAMHSA. January 2024. Page 33. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt42731/2022-nsduh-nnr.pdf

[iv] 2025 Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index. Sept. 2025. https://newsroom.questdiagnostics.com/2025-09-02-Fentanyl-Positivity-Is-More-Than-Seven-Times-Higher-in-Random-Tests-vs-Pre-Employment-Drug-Screening,-Finds-2025-Quest-Diagnostics-Drug-Testing-Index

[v] Workers’ Compensation Costs. National Safety Council from data from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI). https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/costs/workers-compensation-costs/

[vi] Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index. May 2023. https://newsroom.questdiagnostics.com/2023-05-18-Post-Accident-Workforce-Drug-Positivity-for-Marijuana-Reached-25-Year-High-in-2022,-Quest-Diagnostics-Drug-Testing-Index-Analysis-Finds