Marihuana and Work Performance: Results from an Experiment

Determining the relationship between marihuana and economic activity is an important factor in establishing social policy in this area. The effects of marihuana availability and consumption on production, hours worked, and output per hour are reported from an experimental microeconomy involving resident volunteer human subjects. The statistical analysis shows no effect of marihuana on total output or total hours worked for experimental as compared to control conditions, although marihuana use was generally associated with a simultaneous decision to engage in passive leisure activities in the period immediately following smoking. These results suggest a hypothesis about the general relationship between marihuana and economic activity that is used to integrate the results of several other studies with those reported here.