The impacts of cannabis legalization on the trucking industry, namely the recent decline in drivers due to strict rules on drug use on drug testing, are already well-documented. However, a new report from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) dives in even further.

The report titled, “Impacts of Marijuana Legalization on the Trucking Industry” takes a closer look at the latest demographic trends in cannabis legalization, reviews research and data surrounding highway safety and cannabis use, summarizes workforce and hiring implications for the trucking industry and analyzes publicly available CDL driver drug test data. 

It also takes a closer look at truck driver and carrier opinions on cannabis — finding that the majority of both support a change in the current drug testing policies — along with an analysis of cannabis policies imposed upon drivers, detailed drug testing data, a closer look at research on cannabis, road safety, and much more.

Driver Shortage and Cannabis Legalization

The ATRI released its first research publication on the impact of cannabis legalization on the trucking industry in 2019. Citing the many additional jurisdictions that have since legalized or decriminalized cannabis, ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee voted last year to conduct research and revisit the topic.

To operate large trucks, drivers are required to possess a commercial driver’s license, and in the trucking industry in particular, current federal law requires those with commercial licenses to abstain from using cannabis or risk termination. According to the report and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, more than half of all positive trucking industry drug tests are for cannabis metabolite. 

Should a driver test positive, they are removed from the industry until they complete a series of remedial steps. Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse data indicates that more than 100,000 drivers tested positive and were removed from duty between 2020 and 2022.

“With a national driver shortage that fluctuated between 65,000 and 80,000 in recent years, these positive tests impact the industry,” the report says.

The report notes that federal prohibition “has been highlighted as a potential disincentive for drivers to stay in the industry, and it has even been argued that loosening the restrictions on marijuana use would make the industry more attractive and widen the potential labor pool.”

Valuable Insights on Cannabis Opinions in the Trucking Industry

The 61-page report is overflowing with information on cannabis and trucking, including figures on the increase of truckers residing in recreational cannabis states between 2019 and 2023 (18.5% versus 41.1% respectively), recent cannabis road safety research, federal requirements throughout the industry, a look at the last decade of drug testing data, and more. 

Among the highlights are survey results surrounding driver and carrier opinions on cannabis. A majority of carriers (56.3%) said they would be willing to hire a driver with a past positive cannabis test, though more than half (54.8%) of that group said a specific period of time would need to pass first. The most common increment of time reported was five years (37%).

The majority of carriers (60.1%) also reported that there had been a noticeable increase in positive pre-employment tests or walk-outs over the past five years, and of those who noticed an increase, nearly half (45.5%) indicated that no particular age group was more likely to test positive. Otherwise, the most frequently selected age group was 26-35 years old (27.6%).

Most carriers (62%) said that changes in federal drug testing policy are needed and that a cannabis impairment test should replace a cannabis use test (65.4%). While carriers largely recognized that the current model is flawed, most (40.9%) were still “extremely concerned” about impaired driving as a result of cannabis legalization.

Most drivers (55.4%) said that they believed highway safety had not been impacted by legalized cannabis use, and 65% said that a cannabis impairment test should replace a cannabis use test.

The driver survey also included a text box, where drivers could provide any final comments surrounding recreational cannabis. Most comments fell into two categories: those supporting a loosening of cannabis testing and laws (72.4%) and comments supporting the status quo (27.6%).

The Path Forward

The report says that there are two pathways the federal government can take in the future with cannabis, and both present challenges for the trucking industry.

Should it maintain federal prohibition, “the trucking industry will continue to have thousands of drivers annually placed in prohibited status and will lose many others to occupations that do not test for marijuana use,” the report said. ATRI says that companies can continue to enforce zero-tolerance policies and keeping the status quo could help resolve disputes from conflicting state and federal policies.

The report also states, “Any shift toward federal legalization would likely ease pressure on the industry’s driver shortage.”

“The central goal of industry drug testing efforts is highway safety. The current approach supports safety efforts, but also results in inefficiencies when drivers that do not present a safety issue are removed from the industry,” it says, adding that the trucking industry must take several actions to ensure safety and a lack of impairment before federal efforts to legalize cannabis come to fruition.

The post Report on Trucking, Cannabis Finds Most Drivers Support Testing Reform appeared first on High Times.

The post Report on Trucking, Cannabis Finds Most Drivers Support Testing Reform appeared first on Paradise Found.

The proposed legislation “would narrow the definition of ‘safety-sensitive position’” under the state’s medical cannabis law, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. That provision has precluded first responders and firefighters from entering the New Mexico medical marijuana program, which launched in 2007.

“As proposed, the definition would only include employees who are required to carry a firearm or operate a vehicle with a commercial driver’s license and ‘whose performance under the influence of drugs or alcohol would constitute an immediate or direct threat of injury or death to the person or another.’ State law currently defines a ‘safety-sensitive position’ ineligible for the medical cannabis program more broadly, barring firefighters from using medical cannabis without their employer’s permission,” the publication reported. 

The legislation is being backed by local firefighters unions.

“We would use responsible policy to address everything just like about alcohol, and not only alcohol but other prescribed medications that we’re not allowed to use when we’re working on the job,” Miguel Tittmann, the president of  International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) 244, told local news station KOAT.

“We would not be able to use medical marijuana so many hours prior to the shift if we were able to negotiate responsible policy.”

Christopher Johnson, the president of IAFF 2362 in Las Cruces, echoed those sentiments.

“I think a lot of our hope was that that would be able to be cleared up at the state level, which would kind of open up the door for the municipalities to start making that distinction and allow them to allow us to use that as well,” Johnson told KOAT.

The bill is currently being considered by a committee in the state House of Representatives. 

Democrats hold majorities in both chambers of the New Mexico legislature.

The state’s Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, has also proven to be pro-cannabis.

In 2021, she signed legislation that made adult-use marijuana legal in New Mexico, which she hailed as an economic coup for the state.

“The legalization of adult-use cannabis paves the way for the creation of a new economic driver in our state with the promise of creating thousands of good paying jobs for years to come,” Grisham said at the time. “We are going to increase consumer safety by creating a bona fide industry. We’re going to start righting past wrongs of this country’s failed war on drugs. And we’re going to break new ground in an industry that may well transform New Mexico’s economic future for the better.”

“As we look to rebound from the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, entrepreneurs will benefit from this great opportunity to create lucrative new enterprises, the state and local governments will benefit from the added revenue and, importantly, workers will benefit from the chance to land new types of jobs and build careers,” Grisham added.

Grisham said the measure was “a major, major step forward for our state.” 

“Legalized adult-use cannabis is going to change the way we think about New Mexico for the better – our workforce, our economy, our future. We’re ready to break new ground. We’re ready to invest in ourselves and the limitless potential of New Mexicans. And we’re ready to get to work in making this industry a successful one,” the governor said.

Medical and recreational cannabis sales in New Mexico totaled more than $40 million in December.

The post Bill Seeks To Ease Medical Cannabis Restrictions for New Mexico Firefighters appeared first on High Times.

The post Bill Seeks To Ease Medical Cannabis Restrictions for New Mexico Firefighters appeared first on Paradise Found.

Cannabis consumers who are aspiring to receive a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to drive trucks and other commercial vehicles should seriously consider the pros and cons of their career outlook. Data shows that commercial drivers are consuming cannabis more than any other drug, even if it can ruin their career.

Commercial drivers test positive for cannabis more often these days than any other drug, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

As you can imagine—federal restrictions on drugs for CDL holders are quite strict. With this in mind, drivers can face heavy punishments if they fail a drug test.

The most recent data shows that 98 percent of all positive drug screens in the first half of 2020 were for drugs and not alcohol. Only 892 CDL holders failed drug tests due to alcohol. That’s probably because alcohol detection tests can only measure alcohol in the blood for up to six hours, on the breath for 12-24 hours or in urine for 12-24 hours, while cannabis is detectable for weeks, or months in some cases.

The DOT mandates drug tests use urine samples only for typical pre-employment tests—so if you’re drunk one day, you can pass it the next. Cannabis on the other hand, lingers in fatty tissues and can trigger a positive result for much longer.

Over half, or 52 percent of the 40,433 tests came up positive for cannabis, which is currently legal in one form or another in most states. 

But the FMCSA doesn’t care about state laws. “The bottom line for CDL holders is you can’t use marijuana, even though you have states that allow people to use marijuana on a recreational basis,” said Larry Minor, the associate administrator for policy at the FMCSA.

If a CDL holder tests positive for cannabis on the first drug screen, they usually don’t lose their license, but repeat offenses are another story, or when an injury is involved. But failing a drug test for cannabis automatically ignites a long return-to-work process that is still considered to be a “career nightmare.” There are stories of drivers who still have their CDL but cannot find work over a brownie and a stain on their record.

Around half of the failed drug tests took place during the pre-employment drug screen. An additional 13,340 failed drug tests were randoms, and only about 1,700 failed drug screens were found following an accident.

The data matches existing data on drivers in general. Non-commercial drivers are also consuming cannabis at a faster pace.

Even CBD Is an Issue for Commercial Drivers

The FMCSA issued a Clearinghouse Update on May 27, reminding commercial motor vehicle drivers—who are regulated by the FMCSA—that they should exert caution when considering whether to consume even hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) products.

JD Supra reports on the critical updates that CDL drivers should know:

1. The U.S. DOT requires testing for marijuana and not CBD.
2. CBD product labeling is often misleading because the products could contain higher levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) than what’s stated on the product label.
3. The U.S. DOT’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulation, 49 CFR Part 40, does not authorize the use of Schedule I drugs, including marijuana, for any reason.
4. CBD use is not a legitimate medical explanation for a laboratory-confirmed cannabis positive result. Therefore, Medical Review Officers will verify a drug test confirmed at the appropriate cutoffs as positive, even if an employee claims they only used a CBD product.
5. Since the use of CBD products could lead to a positive drug test result, U.S. DOT-regulated CDL drivers should exercise caution when considering whether to use CBD products.

Knowledge is power, especially when weighing the risks of consuming cannabis when a career is at stake.

The post Commercial Drivers Consume Cannabis More than Any Other Drug, Data Shows appeared first on High Times.

The post Commercial Drivers Consume Cannabis More than Any Other Drug, Data Shows appeared first on Paradise Found.