U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) policies on drug testing truckers and other commercial drivers for marijuana are unnecessarily costing people their jobs and contributing to supply chain issues, a congressman said in a letter to the head of the department on Monday. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) cited DOT data showing that tens of thousands of drivers are being disqualified because of stringent drug screening policies around THC. He said that while nobody wants drivers impaired on the roads, there aren’t tests that can detect active impairment—so people are being penalized for using cannabis while off duty, days or weeks before they’re tested. “These disqualifications deny people the right to earn a living, reduce the workforce when drivers are desperately needed, and penalize people of color and patients who legally use medical cannabis,” he wrote. “This crisis must be treated with urgency.” The congressman told Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg that his department “should rapidly reform requirements for testing drivers and returning them to service, as well as develop an accurate test for impairment.”
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 05/16/2022 14:56:00