A 27-year-old worker at a cannabis cultivation and processing facility in Massachusetts has become the first reported occupational asthma death in the US cannabis production industry, according to federal health and safety officials. The woman experienced worsening work-related respiratory symptoms and suffered a fatal asthma attack in January 2022, as detailed in a federal report published on Thursday. The report highlights that allergic diseases, including asthma, are a growing concern in the rapidly expanding US cannabis industry, which has seen a surge in state-level legalizations. It emphasizes that the worker's death underlines missed opportunities for prevention, including workplace exposures, medical surveillance, and treatment according to the current asthma guidelines. The report also stresses the importance of evaluating workers with new-onset or worsening asthma in cannabis facilities, as this approach, combined with prompt diagnosis and medical management, could help prevent workplace deaths.

The report was published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and represents the findings of a federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection. The inspection included a worksite exposure assessment, coworker and next-of-kin interviews, medical record reviews, and collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Although the report does not disclose the worker's name or the name of the Massachusetts facility, OSHA filings from last year revealed that an employee at the Holyoke location of cannabis company Trulieve suffered an asthma attack while packaging ground cannabis into pre-rolls and later died in the hospital. The worker was identified as Lorna McMurrey, 27. Trulieve reached a settlement with OSHA after McMurrey's death, paying over $14,000. As part of the settlement, the company agreed to design and implement a temporary information and training program to alert employees to potential allergic reactions from working with ground cannabis dust in an occupational setting.

The report cites studies that highlight respiratory hazards in the cannabis cultivation and production industry, including microbial and plant allergens. It also identifies chemicals such as pesticides and allergens specific to the cannabis plant itself as potential hazards. This finding comes at a time when the legalization of recreational marijuana and the subsequent growth of the cannabis industry are spreading across the US. Nearly half of the states allow adult recreational use of marijuana, with legalization beginning in 2012 in Washington and Colorado and continuing to accelerate. Advocates for safety in the marijuana industry are calling for more safeguards to protect workers and the public from potential risks. Scott Gagnon, a cannabis industry watchdog and advocate for substance abuse prevention in Maine, where marijuana has been legal for several years, stated that the death of the Massachusetts worker should serve as a "big red flag" to lawmakers, highlighting the need for more regulations in the industry.

Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, the marijuana law reform group, emphasized the industry's commitment to safety, stating that incidents like this are much less likely in licensed and regulated cannabis businesses that adhere to workplace safety regulations and standards. He further explained that in regulated marketplaces, such incidents are properly investigated, and corrective actions are taken to prevent future occurrences. As the number of cannabis-friendly states in the US continues to grow, so does the drug's usage among American workers. An annual analysis from medical lab and testing company Quest Diagnostics revealed that in 2022, the percentage of general US employees who tested positive for cannabis reached the highest level ever recorded since the company began analyzing workplace drug testing data in 1988.