After experts speaking at the Casualty Actuarial Society meeting in November suggested that a future path forward for workers comp insurers to help stem the tide of opioid addiction is to pay for alternatives for treating chronic pain, an audience member asked about medical marijuana as an option.

John Ruser, CEO of the Workers Compensation Research Institute, noted that there hasn’t been a lot of research on marijuana efficacy for various conditions because it hasn’t been allowed as a treatment until recently. “That’s a real problem.”