Truck drivers are urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to approve to President Joe Biden‘s proposal to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, though their employers say they fear a decline in safety and increased risks for trucking companies.
Out of the more than 20,000 comments filed so far in the DEA’s rule-making process, only a small fraction are from drivers working in the US’s $800 billion trucking industry. However, when they have commented, they’ve been overwhelmingly and anonymously in favor reclassification.
Alcohol, Not Cannabis, Leading Cause Of Car Accidents & Deaths
“As a truck driver in the United States I would like to be able to use marijuana on my time off just the same as any driver can come home and drink alcohol on their time off,” stated one commenter, reported Freight Waves on Thursday. “I believe it is unfair that I can lose my job and my license if I have used marijuana and a month later I can still lose my job if I come out ‘dirty’ in a random drug test. The statistics are there and proven that alcohol is the leading cause of death in car accidents compared to nearly zero percent with marijuana.”
Another driver highlighted the disparity in treatment between alcohol and weed, noting that despite statistics showing alcohol as the leading cause of death in car accidents, marijuana use remains heavily penalized.
“We can go have drinks after a long day but can’t smoke something that has medical benefits, helps us sleep better, deals with pain, and manages job-related stress and anxiety.”
However, a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holder and driver trainer acknowledged the safety concerns raised by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), including the risk of impaired drivers on the road.
However, “de-scheduling would not be equal to it being ok for drivers to use cannabis while actively working,” the commenter said. “I would expect my drivers to not drink alcohol at work, take NyQuil before a shift or a prescription that would interfere with driving, or get behind the wheel with lack of sleep — and the same would apply to those who take cannabis.”
While the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed in January 2024 that cannabis “has a currently accepted medical use in treatment,” the ATA argued that the Department of Transportation’s drug and alcohol testing requirements are limited to substances listed in Schedules I and II and therefore might need exceptions for truck drivers if marijuana is reclassified to Schedule III.
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