Marijuana’s Schedule Change and its Effect on Trucking
Recently, President Trump announced that the federal government was moving marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. How will this affect the trucking industry? The answer may (or may not) shock you.
Schedule Ratings
The Controlled Substances Act lists various drugs as different schedules in order of severity, inversely. This means Schedule I is the highest and V is the lowest.
Up until now, marijuana was listed as a Schedule I, the highest possible level and higher than some drugs you would consider to be the worst of the worst. Now, it is being reduced to Schedule III, to be on the same rung as some prescription pain killers. Considering the analgesic properties of marijuana, this comparison makes more sense.
Effect on Trucking Industry
This change in news means little for the trucking industry, however. Just because the drug is being lowered in its legal severity does not mean drivers are encouraged to use it.
“It remains unacceptable for any safety‐sensitive employee subject to drug testing under the Department of Transportation’s drug testing regulations to use marijuana,” a DOT spokesperson said. “Positions include: pilots, school bus drivers, truck drivers, train engineers, subway operators, aircraft maintenance personnel, transit fire‐armed security personnel, ship captains, and pipeline emergency response personnel, among others.”
The current policy of marijuana use is that cannabidiol (CBD) is allowable on the road, but that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is not. Because the two are so closely intertwined, taking anything claiming to be CBD only is still a risk.
Conclusion
The Department of Transportation has been laying the hammer down recently to improve safety on the road, and as such it was almost a foregone conclusion that driving a truck under the effects of THC would still be prohibited. You would not trust the average driver to be behind the wheel while under the influence of other mind-alerting substances, so the logic still applies. Even Schedule V drugs are prohibited if they impair reaction time and judgement, two things the THC in marijuana is well-known for.
In conclusion, while the federal government is reducing the disdain it has for marijuana, professionals are still held to the utmost highest standards.
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