According to a recent report, a majority of U.S. licensed truck drivers believe that federal marijuana laws should be changed. They also say that the current policies regarding cannabis testing for drivers is driving people away from the transportation industry due to the driver shortage.
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), with an estimated 65,000 driver deficit in the United States, conducted an analysis of marijuana testing policies for drivers. This included survey data from the drivers who said that the status-quo needed to be changed.
The report published on Monday states that “more than half of positive drug tests in the trucking industry are for marijuana metabolite,” a substance which can remain in a person’s system for weeks after consumption. The federal prohibition has been highlighted as an incentive for drivers to leave the trucking industry. It’s even been argued loosening restrictions on marijuana would make the industry attractive and increase the labor pool.
The federal law currently in place requires that all commercial drivers abstain cannabis. They are subjected to various drug testing methods, from pre-employment tests to random ones.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE#ATRI Releases New Research that Evaluates the Impacts of Marijuana Legalization on the Trucking Industry and its Workforcehttps://t.co/UyPmF3pq9o #TruckingResearch
ATRI (@Truck_Research June 5, 2020
ATRI’s survey found that 72,4 percent of licensed drivers are in favor of “loosening up” the cannabis laws and policies. A further 66.5 percent believe that marijuana should be legalized at the federal level.
A second survey found that 65,4 percent of motor carriers think that the current marijuana testing methods should be replaced by methods that measure active impaired.
ATRI noted that cannabis metabolites could be detected by drug testing even after a person is no longer drunk. It also said that “current marijuana tests are likely effective in removing drivers that may work while impaired but it is likely to remove drivers that previously used the drug, but would not drive a truck when impaired.”
The survey revealed that 50.2% of respondents believed that it was “very common” or “common” for drivers to quit the industry because of marijuana rules.
Truck drivers were asked if they thought that legalized recreational marijuana had negatively impacted highway safety. The majority (55.4%) said there was no impact.
The majority of drivers (65%) also agree that marijuana drug testing should focus on active impairment tests rather than urine-based screens that detect only inactive metabolites.
Recently, of the DOT finalized a new rule that allows for another alternative – saliva-based tests. This could help prevent casual cannabis users from being penalized if they consume the drug weeks before a urine test. According to the agency, THC can be detected in saliva from 1 to 24 hours following use depending on how often it is used.
The ATRI report states that there are two possible paths the federal government can take regarding marijuana in the near future, both of which present challenges to the trucking industry.
It could keep federal prohibition. If it did, then “thousands of truck drivers would be placed on prohibited status every year and many more would lose their jobs to other occupations which do not require testing for marijuana use.”
According to the Institute, one benefit of maintaining the status quo is that companies will continue to enforce policies of zero-tolerance. It could also help resolve conflicts resulting from state and federal policy differences.
The report states that it is possible for federal marijuana regulations to evolve towards legalization, and marijuana may eventually be removed from federal Schedule I. Any shift towards federal legalization will likely reduce the pressure on the industry’s driver shortage.
The primary goal of the industry’s drug testing is to improve highway safety. It says that the current approach helps to promote safety, but it also leads to inefficiencies because drivers who do not pose a safety risk are removed from industry. To ensure the safety and integrity of the trucking industry, several steps must be taken prior to any federal efforts to legalize cannabis.
The report noted that the research on the impact of marijuana use on driving and safety is mixed at the moment, which complicates rulemaking. The Congressional Research Service also published a report in 2019. It found the evidence on cannabis’s impact on driving to be inconclusive.
The marijuana laws are a major factor in the labor shortage of the transportation industry.
Data from the DOT released earlier in the year showed that 40 916 truckers had tested positive for THC metabolites. , a federal agency, reported that as of May 1, this year, 12 527 drivers had tested positive for marijuana in 2023.
This proposed handbook update was designed to inform medical examiners when they conduct physical exams on commercial drivers whose jobs involve interstate travel.
The handbook will also provide information on cannabis policy and compliance rules and direct examiners towards an earlier DOT notification stating that the department requires testing for marijuana, not CBD .
The Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) newsletter published last year included two sections on cannabis issues . One reminded employees they were prohibited from using marijuana, and the other warned that CBD products are unregulated and may contain THC that can be detected in a drug-test.
Earl Blumenauer, a Democratic Representative from Oregon, wrote to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a letter last year. He argued that the DOT’s cannabis testing policies are costing jobs to people unnecessarily and contributing to supply-chain issues. He called for a review of the guidelines and administrative reform.
Wells Fargo’s top analyst stated last year that the federal criminalization of marijuana and its resulting drug-testing mandates persist even though more states legalize it.
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The article Industry Report: Majority of truckers support marijuana legalization and testing reform amid labor shortage first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
