The Impact of State Medical Marijuana Laws on Social Security Disability Insurance and Workers' Compensation Benefit Claiming

The authors study the effect of state medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Workers' Compensation (WC) claiming. The paper uses data on benefit claiming drawn from the 1990 to 2013 Current Population Survey coupled with a differences-indifferences design. It finds that passage of an MML increases SSDI, but not WC, claiming on both the intensive and extensive margins. Post-MML the propensity to claim SSDI increases by 0.27 percentage points (9.9%) and SSDI benefits increase by 2.6%. The paper identifies heterogeneity by age and the manner in which states regulate medical marijuana. The findings suggest an unintended consequence of MMLs: increased reliance on costly social insurance programs among working age adults