We study whether the work capacity of the older working population responds to improved pain management therapy access. We use the adoption of state recreational marijuana laws (RMLs) as a large policy shock to access to a non-pharmaceutical pain management option. We focus on workers’ compensation cash benefit receipt as a measure of work capacity, finding that receipt declines in response to RML adoption. Workers’ compensation cash benefits are awarded to workers who require time away from work to recover from an injury, which arguably captures a policy-relevant aspect of work capacity. We observe similar shifts in complementary proxies for work capacity, including work-limiting disability rates. After considering a range of alternative mechanisms, the evidence suggests that the primary driver of the reductions in workers’ compensation benefits is improvements in work capacity.

中文翻译：

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疼痛管理和工作能力：工人赔偿和大麻合法化的证据

我们研究老年工作人群的工作能力是否会对疼痛管理治疗的改善产生反应。我们将州娱乐性大麻法 (RML) 的通过视为获得非药物止痛选择的重大政策冲击。我们重点关注工人补偿现金福利收入，将其作为工作能力的衡量标准，发现收入随着 RML 的采用而下降。工伤赔偿现金福利发放给需要休假才能从伤害中恢复的工人，这可以说反映了工作能力的政策相关方面。我们观察到工作能力的补充指标也发生了类似的变化，包括限制工作的残疾率。在考虑了一系列替代机制之后，