A worker in the legal cannabis industry died after inhaling marijuana dust.

Introduction

Marijuana is a booming business in the United States, and as it grows, so does the need for workers to process marijuana plants into products like oils and edibles.

There were more than 1 million full-time jobs in legal cannabis industries in 2018. But with increased popularity comes increased danger, not just from getting busted by the police.

Workers who work with marijuana are at risk of inhaling particles that get stuck deep into their lungs. This can cause irritation or allergic reactions, resulting in asthma attacks or death.

A 51-year-old worker in the legal cannabis industry

A 51-year-old worker in the legal cannabis industry died after accidentally breathing marijuana dust created during processing, according to a report from the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The deceased worker was employed at an Oregon facility. According to OSHA, he inhaled marijuana dust during a bagging operation and died from an asthma attack caused by marijuana exposure.

The worker was involved in

The worker was involved in removing marijuana plants from a curing room at a facility in Oregon. The curing room is a room where marijuana plants are stored after harvesting to dry and cure them.

The drying process may take several weeks or even months, depending on the climate and other factors. During this time, moisture content decreases as plant material dry out.

Because of this, curing rooms can become dusty due to accumulated dust particles after being harvested and stored for long periods.

The temperature inside such rooms is usually kept low (around 70°F) because warmer temperatures accelerate mold growth on cannabis products like buds or leaves.

Cannabis plants are typically dried in these rooms by placing them on racks that hang from the ceiling so that air flow does not cause them to come into contact with each other—this way, each plant receives just enough air circulation without being exposed directly to another plant's spores.

The worker then removed leaves and buds.

The worker then removed leaves and buds from the stems for several hours. The worker was not putting on a mask or other protection, even though he was in an enclosed room with poor ventilation.

After working for about five hours, the worker complained of shortness of breath and chest pain but continued to remove more leaves and buds from the stems.

He later collapsed while working on another batch of marijuana plants, after which he was rushed to a hospital, where he died two days later.

He later died on his way home from work due to an asthma attack

The first time the worker was exposed to marijuana dust was on a Monday when law enforcement officials questioned him.

He described his job at a cannabis cultivation facility and said he experienced asthma attacks after working there. He also noted that he did not wear a mask or other protective equipment while working with marijuana dust.

The following week, on Tuesday morning, the same man returned to work at the cultivation facility where he had been previously employed.

According to reports from other employees at this facility, they continued to breathe in large amounts of marijuana pollen as they worked throughout that day.

At around 11 p.m., this man began driving home after finishing his shift at work (approximately eight hours after first being exposed).

He started coughing up blood and experiencing difficulty breathing due to his history of asthma attacks related directly back into contact with airborne particles from marijuana plants during their growth process."

As medical and recreational marijuana use grows

One of the primary challenges to workplace safety is that, as medical and recreational marijuana use grows, workers are more likely to be exposed to its hazards.

Occupational health and safety professionals need to develop strategies for working with this employer-sponsored benefit.

One strategy is that employers who provide coverage for medical cannabis or recreational marijuana usage (or both) should consider limiting its use during work hours or ensuring that employees do not bring it into the workplace.

Legalizing medical marijuana may also lead to increased use of pesticides, another hazard, and additional exposure in agricultural settings where workers handle plants before harvesting.

Conclusion

The takeaway for employers is to ensure their employees are aware of the risks involved with working around cannabis and ensure that proper safety precautions are in place.

One way to do this is by providing training on handling marijuana plants and equipment and informing workers about the potential hazards they may encounter during their shifts.

In addition, these workers must have access to an emergency medical kit should they experience an asthma attack or other illnesses related to marijuana dust exposure. This could save lives.