Truck Drivers Will Still Be Tested For Marijuana Regardless Of Cannabis Rescheduling, Says Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed that President Joe Biden’s proposal to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III will not change drug testing policies for commercial trucker drivers.
Responding to that concern from lawmakers at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on Thursday, Buttigieg noted the Department of Transportation (DOT) specifically lists marijuana as a substance to screen for, regardless of its classification.
“Our understanding of the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III is that it would not alter DOT’s marijuana testing requirements with respect to the regulated community,” said Buttigieg in response to a question from Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas) who cited two letters from the American Trucking Associations (ATA) warning against loosening restrictions on marijuana testing.
“For private individuals who are performing safety-sensitive functions, subject to drug testing, marijuana is identified by name, not by reference to one of those classes. So even if it was in its classification, we do not believe that that would have a direct …