Science currently cannot determine whether drivers are too impaired by cannabis to get behind the wheel. That’s because THC, the chemical ingredient in cannabis that causes the high, remains detectable in urine for as long as a month. Despite this, the federal government continues to sideline truck drivers for marijuana use, even in the middle of a supply chain crisis. Thanks to federal law, which lists marijuana as an illegal substance, marijuana testing of truck drivers continues nationwide, despite the test’s flaws. It’s led a congressman to ask that the federal government change the rules. Citing numbers from the federal Department of Transportation, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, noted recently that the DOT has disqualified tens of thousands of truck drivers from working in the past two years because they tested positive for THC on a drug test. “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,” Blumenauer wrote in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Cannabis Law Report, 05/25/2022 14:29:00