Trucking industry leaders have raised concerns over the federal government’s move to reclassify marijuana, which they fear “could have significant negative consequences for highway safety, endangering all who share the road.”
The American Trucking Associations (ATA), a national trade association with more than 37,000 members, sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday seeking clarification on whether the agency would maintain its authority to test commercial drivers for marijuana use if marijuana is reclassified from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act.
“ATA believes that it is vitally important that your agencies ensure an ongoing allowance for marijuana testing of safety-sensitive workers to avoid deterioration of highway safety,” wrote Dan Horvath, ATA’s senior vice president of regulatory affairs and safety policy, in a statement.
“If this rulemaking is permitted to move forward without appropriate regulatory review, oversight, and deliberation, ATA is concerned that it will severely curtail the ability of motor carriers and other employers of safety-sensitive positions to maintain a safe working environment, threatening the safety of all road users.”
Schedule I drugs are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse and dependence, with no approved medical use. Schedule III drugs are considered to be low risk for abuse and dependence, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In his June 20 letter to Mr. Buttigieg, Mr. Horvath said testing for marijuana is “critical” for those working in “safety-sensitive” industries, including commercial trucking, airlines, busing, and rail.
“This is imperative given the current absence of a proven impairment standard,” Mr. Horvath wrote.
“Similarly, researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that, between 2000 and 2018, crash deaths involving marijuana more than doubled, from 9 percent to 21.5 percent,” Mr. Horvath said.
Other studies have found that marijuana legalization at the state level “was associated with a 6.5 percent increase in injury crash rates and a 2.3 percent increase in fatal crash rates,” the letter continued, adding that emergency departments in Canada saw a 94 percent increase in the rate of marijuana-involved traffic injuries after the drug was legalized in 2018.
ATA said it does not have a formal stance on the legalization of marijuana, but it is concerned about the “broad public health and safety consequences of reclassification on the national highway system and its users.”
“ATA is alarmed by the possibility that certain industries could be prohibited from screening for drug use by workers performing safety-sensitive roles,” Mr. Horvath wrote.
The Department of Transportation is responsible for ensuring the safety of the national transportation network.
AGs Request Hearing
A coalition of state attorneys general has requested a public hearing regarding the proposed change to the classification of marijuana.The coalition of 18 states, led by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, raised concerns about the reclassification’s “potential impacts,” including public safety, in a letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
“The Proposed Rule carries both national and international ramifications,” the attorneys general wrote on June 20. “The Proposed Rule also represents the most significant relaxation of narcotics restrictions in the history of the CSA.”
The group says a hearing is necessary to allow outside experts to present their views on the “competing claims” over the drug’s medical use, abuse potential, and “impacts on public safety.”
The coalition also includes Attorneys General Steve Marshall of Alabama, Tim Griffin of Arkansas, Liz Murrill of Louisiana, Ken Paxton of Texas, and 13 others.
