One study found that opioid abuse costs companies $18 billion a year, and the problem is thought to be particularly bad in the construction industry as missed workdays, healthcare expenses and job turnover and related re-training costs add up. But the toll on workers is much more severe — opioids ruin lives!

Related: Navigating the haze of marijuana coverage

Search for an alternative

With no sign in sight of opioid addiction subsiding in the workplace the National League Football Players Association — another industry in which employees put their bodies on the line —is researching marijuana as an alternative to painkillers. After all, marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in a majority of states (and for recreational use in eight).

Construction executives have taken notice and are discussing the use of cannabis as a potential alternative to the opioids and painkillers that are widely prescribed by doctors nationwide. Construction executives recognize that opioid abuse is on the rise and prescription pain killers are affecting their employees. They realize that intelligent discussions must be had with law makers and medical professionals to discover other options for severely injured workers.

Related: Former NFL players push for legal pot as painkiller alternative

Some recent research may give us a clue as to why a medical marijuana discussion is more prevalent today than in the past. Marijuana is thought to be significantly less addictive, and doesn't lead to overdoses, according to medical experts. A recent study revealed that 93% of respondents found marijuana to be a more effective treatment and one that produced fewer side effects than opioids, while other research has found it to be less costly.

Legal, operational and cultural complications

Complications arise when you talk about how to incorporate medicinal marijuana into a construction workplace, however. For starters, even though medical marijuana has become more accepted by the public, its legal standing is murky. The federal government still considers it a controlled substance, and the current administration is eager to enforce its illegal status.

Even without a federal crackdown, courts have tended to rule in favor of employers that have chosen to terminate employment of those who test positive for marijuana, even when employees produce a prescription. To complicate things more, a few states have even required insurance carriers to make reimbursement payments for medical marijuana treatments for workers' compensation claims.

There are also a number of operational and cultural challenges to accepting employees' use of prescribed medicinal marijuana on jobsites and in construction settings. Construction firm executives can't be faulted for speculating whether allowances for medicinal marijuana could cause some employees to push for bogus prescriptions in order to have the employer to fund their recreational activities. Prescription or not, an impaired worker is a major hazard, and companies can still implement a drug-free workplace policy.

Related: Roll with it? Hawaii insurer pulls workers' comp coverage from medical marijuana dispensaries

Follow the conversation

So, will medical marijuana gain acceptance in construction? With many key facets of the issue being reviewed and discussed today, it's hard to tell if, when or to what degree medical professionals and legislatures will permit employees to use prescribed medical marijuana over opioids.

Still, forward-thinking leaders should follow the conversation closely to see what best practices emerge as medical professionals continue to investigate finding healthier and more cost-effective pain relief for workers without compromising a safe, drug-free workplace or violating state or federal law.

Regardless of what transpires in the next few years, employers can maintain their own drug-testing protocol and review their insurance policies or check with their brokers to ensure opioid and marijuana drug-testing policies adhere to state and federal law.

The goal of these tests should be to get help for those who fail, not to root them out of a job.

Related: Workplace safety and weed at work

Jake Morin is ProSight Specialty Insurance's niche president of construction. He can be reached at [email protected].