The death of a cannabis industry worker last year has raised concerns about job-related health dangers in the industry and the need for more awareness around the problem.
According to a Leafly investigation, Trulieve employee Lorna McMurrey died last January after complaining about having trouble breathing. McMurrey reportedly collapsed while working at a Holyoke, Massachusetts cannabis production facility where she made a living assembling pre-rolled joints.
Co-workers performed CPR on her before she was taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. She died later that night.
McMurrey reportedly died from a job hazard that is unknown in many corners of the cannabis industry: Dust produced from handling large amounts of dried cannabis. This dust permeates the air in enclosed processing rooms and can trigger asthma or other respiratory complications.
Officials from the federal Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determined in their investigation the cause of her death was “occupational asthma due to exposure to ground cannabis.”
The news of the worker’s death was not made available to the public for at least eight months, despite OSHA being notified by the company.
H/T: abq.news
