A supportive, work-focused assessment that clarifies cannabis use patterns, functional impact, and return-to-work readiness.

Cannabis is now part of everyday life for many Canadians - and it is appearing more frequently in disability claims, workplace health conversations, chronic pain management, and mental health care. When it does, the questions that matter most are rarely about the substance itself.

They are about function. Timing. Safety. And what the individual actually needs to recover and return to work.

SOMA’s Cannabis Functional Health IMEs are designed to answer those questions - clearly, clinically, and without judgment.

 

Screenshot 2026-03-29 at 12.32.13 PM

Cannabis in the workplace sits in a grey zone. That’s where claims stall.

Since legalization, cannabis has moved into clinical conversations in ways that weren’t anticipated. It is used to manage sleep disturbance, chronic pain, anxiety, trauma-related stress, and more. Many individuals using cannabis are doing so for genuine health reasons - often without adequate clinical support for the underlying condition.

For employers, insurers, and legal professionals, this creates a set of questions that are genuinely difficult to answer without specialist clinical input:

“Is this medical or recreational?”
"Is it actually affecting work capacity?”
 “When does use become a safety concern?” 
“How does timing of use relate to the shift?”
“What does a safe return to work actually look like?”
 “Is the current treatment plan addressing the real issue?” 

Without answers to these questions, files stall. Decisions get made on incomplete information. And individuals who may be genuinely trying to manage their health don’t get the support they need to return to work safely.

Cannabis becomes clearer when we focus on functional impact, timing, and treatment alignment - not just whether use is present.

We don’t ask: “Is this person using cannabis?” We ask: “How does cannabis interact with the actual demands of the job?”

Standard assessments often focus on whether cannabis is present, what the diagnosis is, or whether use is ‘recreational’ or ‘medical.’ In practice, those distinctions rarely answer the questions that matter for disability management and return-to-work planning.

SOMA’s Cannabis Functional Health IME takes a different approach - one grounded in functional reality rather than categorical labels. The assessment asks:

  • How does cannabis use affect this individual’s specific cognitive, physical, and emotional capacity?
  • What is the timing of use relative to work hours - and does it create an impairment window that overlaps with safety-sensitive tasks?
  • Why is the individual using cannabis - and is that underlying need being adequately addressed by their current treatment?
  • What does the functional risk profile look like, and what level of support or accommodation is appropriate?
  • What realistic, structured pathway exists to support safe and sustainable return to work?

This approach is supportive, not punitive. It recognises that many individuals using cannabis are managing real health challenges - and that the goal of assessment is to understand their situation fully, not to catch them out.

A Cannabis Functional Health IME may be the right step when:

Not every file involving cannabis requires a specialist IME. But when the following scenarios arise, a structured, function-focused assessment provides the clarity needed to move forward.

For Insurers & Case Managers

✔ Cannabis is mentioned in the file but its functional impact is unclear or undocumented

✔ Medical documentation is inconsistent or doesn’t address work capacity specifically

✔ Return-to-work planning has stalled and no one has assessed functional readiness

✔ Cannabis and a co-occurring mental health condition or chronic pain are both present

✔ The individual has a prescription for medical cannabis but there is no clear workplace safety plan 

For Employers & HR Teams

✔ An employee in a safety-sensitive role has disclosed cannabis use and ‘fit to return’ isn’t a sufficient clinical answer

✔ There are performance or safety concerns that may be related to cannabis use but haven’t been clinically evaluated

✔ A duty-to-accommodate request involves medical cannabis and the employer needs objective guidance on safe reintegration

✔  Existing modified duties or return-to-work conditions need to be validated against a functional assessment 

Cannabis IMEs are part of SOMA’s broader Substance Use expertise

Cannabis is one of a range of substance use presentations that SOMA’s specialist team assesses. When cannabis use co-occurs with other substance use disorders, mental health conditions, or complex disability claims, a broader Substance Use Disorder (SUD) IME may provide the most complete clinical picture.

Have a file involving cannabis? We’re ready to help.

Our team is available to consult on cannabis-related disability and return-to-work files before you make a formal referral - or whenever you’re ready to proceed.

Make a referral
referrals@somamedical.com
1 (877) 664-SOMA

Learn more about SOMA’s SUD IME services →

SOMA’s SUD IMEs cover the full spectrum of substance use and concurrent-disorder assessments - including cases where cannabis use intersects with opioids, alcohol, stimulants, or complex mental health presentations.