DOT Makes Changes in Marijuana Policy

Faced with a hiring crisis that has implications for national security, among other things, the Space Force announced a new pilot program that would give certain applicants who test positive for THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, the opportunity to take the test again to perform and possibly join the ranks. Now the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has used this knowledge and taken its policy a step forward.

Since Covid, the US and other countries have faced an upside down supply chain. The DOT not only oversees federal highways, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure, but also oversees policies for truck drivers, ship captains, train engineers, and airline pilots. During Covid, DOT, the US and the world struggled with not enough drivers for freight transportation. Even if there seems to be an easing at the moment, the prognosis otherwise looks bleak.

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Photo by Adrian Schwarz via Unsplash

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has passed a rule amending its drug testing policies in a way that could have a significant impact on truck drivers, commercial drivers, pilots and other federally regulated transit workers who use marijuana outside of their jobs. This is almost in line with the breathalyser testing policy.

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The change would allow oral saliva drug testing as an alternative to urine testing, similar to alcohol testing. The new tests, like alcohol, show what was in the system over the past 24 hours, and a deeper dive shows 80 hours (about 3.5 days).

Urine tests for THC are unreliable because metabolites can be visible weeks or months after consumption. Such tests often lead to false positive results in people who are not really impaired at work but have used in their free time. These “false positive results” are notable, as DOT data released in January showed tens of thousands of commercial truck drivers tested positive for marijuana as part of state-mandated screening, and a significant proportion of those truck drivers refused to return to work, which contributed to the labor shortage.

The updated policy brings marijuana in line with breathalyser tests. No one wants a truck of drunk people to be driven and this policy aims to give people the free time to do whatever they want.

RELATED: New study further proves THC has a beneficial effect on PTSD

In other positive news, the military last year changed the policy that veterans can use medical marijuana without losing their entitlement to care and services, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.