Page 57 - OHS, June 2020

alcohol, smoked more cigarettes, and used more marijuana in the first month after 9/11, and that number only dropped slightly to 27 percent six months later.”
Many studies have conclusively found that PTSD can initiate drug abuse and drug dependence and can cause recovering drug abusers to relapse as they attempt to “self-medicate” their way through the trauma they are experiencing.2
There is evidence that the PTSD-related substance abuse trend has already started with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a Nielsen report cited by the Associated Press, “U.S. sales of alcoholic
while on the job at home.4
Because some states have declared marijuana “essential” medi-
cine during the pandemic, sales of legal marijuana are, in some cases, outpacing booze. Cannabis e-commerce platform Jane Tech- nologies reported in March that average store revenue is up be- tween 52 and 130 percent compared with sales in January 2020. New on-line buyers have increased 142 percent.5
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, drug abuse in the United States was already on the rise. This well-documented increase in drug abuse coincides with the widespread legalization of mari- juana throughout the country. According to the federal govern- ment, past-year use of illicit substances among Americans 12 and older rose from 17.8 percent in 2017 to 19.4 percent in 2018. This increase is what statisticians would refer to as “statistically signifi- cant.” From that group, an estimated 43.5 million or 15.9 percent of Americans admitted to using marijuana in the past month, higher than the percentages from 2002 to 2017.6
The COVID-19 pandemic qualifies as a national crisis which, if history tells us anything, will lead to an increase in drug abuse at a time when marijuana abuse was already increasing at a dramatic pace. This phenomenon—the COVID-19 pandemic combined with the already rising levels of marijuana use—would appear to be the proverbial “perfect storm.” But not so fast. Unfortunately, there is a third element to the storm that threatens to make the situation even more dangerous.
Essential Industries and Substance Abuse
As many Americans hunker down and some businesses shutter, at least temporarily, some industries and occupations have been des- ignated as “essential” to our survival. Consider the following list of essential jobs according to the federal government.7
■ Health care and public health workers
■ Law enforcement, public safety, and first responders
■ Food and agriculture workers
■ Energy employees
■ Water and wastewater
■ Transportation and logistics
■ Public works
■ Communications and information technology
■ Other community-based government operations and
essential functions
■ Critical manufacturing
■ Hazardous materials
■ Financial services
■ Chemical workers
■ Defense industrial base
From this list we find some of the industries that historically
have higher rates of substance abuse and workplace accidents. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), these are the industries with the highest rates of past-month illicit drug abuse.8
■ Accommodations and food service: 19.1 percent ■ Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 13.7 percent ■ Management: 12.1 percent
beverages rose 55 percent in the week ending March 21. Spirits like tequila, gin and pre-mixed cocktails led the way, with sales jumping 75 percent compared to the same period last year. Wine sales were up 66 percent while beer sales rose 42 percent. And online sales far outpaced in-store sales.”3
According to a survey conducted by Alcohol.org, many em- ployees who find themselves working from home, perhaps for the first time, are doing more than just punching the clock. The sur- vey found that 67 percent of Hawaiians working from home ad- mitted to drinking alcohol while on the clock. Tied for second on the list was Virginia and New Hampshire at 50 percent each. Only eight percent of workers from Arkansas said they had a drink
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JUNE 2020 | Occupational Health & Safety 53
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