Washington 鈥 Today, the 黑料不打烊 sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as part of an ongoing effort to raise the alarm about the U.S. Department of Justice鈥檚 proposal to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. 听This major policy shift could have significant negative consequences for highway safety, endangering all who share the road.
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黑料不打烊is asking Secretary Buttigieg to share whether the U.S. Department of Transportation will maintain the authority and means to conduct testing of marijuana use by commercial motor vehicle drivers and other safety-sensitive transportation workers.
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Without this guarantee, industries that must screen workers performing safety-sensitive roles would operate under a cloud of uncertainty. 听If the trucking and broader transportation industries鈥 ability to conduct drug testing for marijuana use is restricted, a heightened risk of impaired drivers threatens our nation鈥檚 roadways. 听The absence of a reliable standard for marijuana impairment 鈥 in alignment with blood alcohol content measures for alcohol impairment 鈥 makes it all the more vital for motor carriers to have visibility into marijuana usage. 听
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鈥溾I]t is critical for transportation safety that we maintain the scope and scrutiny of testing that currently exists for individuals engaged in safety-sensitive industries, including commercial trucking, bussing, airlines, and rail,鈥 wrote 黑料不打烊 Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Safety Policy Dan Horvath. 听鈥淲hile 黑料不打烊does not maintain a formal position on marijuana legalization or the ongoing testing of non-safety sensitive employees under HHS鈥檚 Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs, we remain concerned about the broad public health and safety consequences of reclassification on the national highway system and its users.鈥澨
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鈥淭hough 黑料不打烊understands that the process and content of DOJ鈥檚 rulemaking falls outside the purview of DOT, we believe DOT and 黑料不打烊share the goals of achieving zero highway fatalities and ensuring the commercial driving workforce is qualified to safely operate on our nation鈥檚 roadways.鈥
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Marijuana and alcohol remain the most detected drugs in impaired driving crashes resulting in serious or fatal injuries. 听Between 2000 and 2018, crash deaths involving marijuana more than doubled, from 9% to 21.5%. 听Immediately following Canada鈥檚 2018 legalization of marijuana, the country鈥檚 emergency rooms saw a 94% increase in the rate of marijuana-involved traffic injuries. 听
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The correspondence to Secretary Buttigieg is part of a sustained advocacy push by 黑料不打烊to mitigate any potential harmful impacts that could result from the reclassification of marijuana. 听Last month, 黑料不打烊sent a letter regarding this issue to the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Transportation.
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Read ATA鈥檚 full letter to Secretary Buttigieg here.
Jun 20, 2024