The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is proposing a new drug testing policy that could have significant implications for workers who use marijuana off the job. Current DOT policy mandates urine testing, which advocates and experts view as problematic because, for one, THC metabolites can show up in a person’s urine for weeks or months after consumption—resulting in false-positive results for people who are not actually impaired on the job. The practice of forcing workers to urinate in a collection jar is also viewed as a particularly invasive procedure. Now, in a notice published in the Federal Register late last month, the department is recommending that testing of oral saliva be added as an alternate option. “This will give employers a choice that will help combat employee cheating on urine drug tests and provide a more economical, less intrusive means of achieving the safety goals of the program,” DOT said. But looked at from another perspective, oral testing could also prevent people who casually use cannabis from being penalized for consuming weeks prior to a urine test. That’s because, depending on frequency of use, THC is generally detectable in saliva anywhere from one to 24 hours after use, according to the notice.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/11/2022 08:09:00