Cannabis Testing, Swift, NYC Ban On Cannabis Testing

Well, Well, Well... turns out our "I smoked once, under a Dr's orders, for 72 hours" is now the Publisher of High Times Magazine!

You want to support your family? Make Millions of dollars AND legalize weed for truck drivers?

Create a "Breathalyzer" for THC. Because right now, all they can do is Urine/Hair/Blood testing. And that can't tell if you are currently under the influence or not, so they have to assume you are.

Plus - and I am all for the legalization of Pot everywhere - if you can't be disaplined enough to NOT smoke Pot when you know your work doesn't allow it, that's just another reason for a company to not trust your judgement. That's always been the big kicker to me.

Legally, I can drink alcohol in my office. The police can't arrest me for having a beer in my office. But I am fairly certain it would get me fired if I cracked open a "nooner" at my desk. If I were to do that, while knowing that my company would be upset about it, it would show a clear lack of judgement and self-control. Two things you absolutely should have in any job, but ESPECIALLY trucking.

What a hilarious stream of commentary..

First of all, using cannabis in your off time does not cause a safety hazard when you are not under its direct influence. Therefore it is not logical to bar use of cannabis at all in my opinion. Secondly, all driving tests where cannabis was actively altering the driver's minds has resulted in NO change to driver safety except in some cases where people have never used it before in their lives and it caused some deviation for them.

The logic that I see in some threads is that driving while under the influence of opiates, alcohol, etc. relates to using cannabis within 30-90 days of a drug test. You cannot be 'high' for 30-90 days for using cannabis once. It is not a safety hazard for people who ever have used cannabis as it is not a safety hazard for someone who is not drinking while driving. The ignorance about cannabis usage and driving safety is much more rampant than I would have imagined for a field which is so filled with those who are safety conscious. I agree that use of Ambient, alcohol, opiates and even cannabis should be disallowed while driving for safety reasons (despite studies indicated cannabis may be safe to drive with-- I'd like to see someone prove this wrong and cite their own study? Go for it) but use of it during off hours is not dangerous at all and it is a legal medication in most or many states. I won't bother to see if we're over 26 states with legal medical and / or recreational cannabis but it is not more dangerous than alcohol to use when you are not driving.

Calling me stupid for putting this up is forcing me to challenge those to a debate about the safety issues of cannabis. I am calling you ignorant, unintelligent, aggressive, rude and impractical.

Cannabis was banned initially because it was the first fuel for automobiles. It is still the best fuel for automobiles in my opinion.

Cannabis is a cousin of hops and CBD's are contained in beers and ales. Your body produces cannabinoids and requires them. Cannabis is also a food which is ideal for human consumption. Cannabis relieves stress, pain, PTSD, can settle autistics and seizure ridden afflictions when nothing else can. Cannabis was used commonly by horse and buggy drivers before anyone had a stigmatic opinion about it which resulted from vast disinformation in the 20th century which was paid for by Standard Oil.

Thus I cannot really entertain much recognition for the merits of most responses because they are not logical, enlightened, scientifically accurate or interesting. It will not be much of a problem for me to pass a urine test soon and when the time comes I can pass a blood, hair follicle or any test. Then there will be no issue. I do not need to use cannabis but many do and in my opinion it is harmful to the trucking industry, to this country to bar it from any person with any occupation because it simply is not the government's business to stop people from using medications which are not safety issues and which work for them.

If we are in a free country, then we can use what is legal here, what is inexpensive, what works, what is natural, what is our choice-- when we are not working. Alcohol is more dangerous than cannabis-- period.

Thanks so much for your time.

OP said he disclosed to recruiter that he had previously been prescribed for a condition by a doctor - recruiter told him to call back in 3 years.

Then he went on his "truth, justice & the american way" rant.

So it appears he was "considering a career", then got all butt-hurt that his family would starve, because previous pot use disqualified him from EVER DRIVING.

If he original post was TRUE (regarding past prescribed usage), all he'd have to do was lay off for the 3-6 months it would take to clear a hair test or urine (because constant use will show up for upwards of 90 days).

If he's stumping for being allowed to use med-weed with a scrip and still drive - he's barking up the wrong tree (obviously).

Also - somewhat unrelated. If you DO have a med weed card - you would be disqualified from LEGALLY PURCHASING a firearm from an FFL. BATFE Form 4473 has a question regarding drug use and has this specifically on the form:

Warning: The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.

Not saying it's right or wrong (politically or inalienable rights-wise), but federal law, is federal law. Answer YES and an FFL cannot legally sell you a weapon. HAVE a card, answer NO (lie), and you are guilty of a federal crime.

No matter...

Rick

Actually in his first idiotic post, he stated that he used it “under advice from a doctor”.

That’s not the same as a prescription, but he’s still a brain-dead stoner in my opinion, with no logical argument or substantive proof that illegal weed should be okay to use for commercial drivers.

This paragraph is from a recent Safety and Health Publication regarding marijuana and medical marijuana use in safety sensitive occupations...

Safety implications Marijuana is a mind-altering drug that contains more than 400 chemicals, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. One of those chemicals, THC, is believed to be the main cause of psychoactive effects as it travels from the bloodstream to the brain. For a crane operator, pipe fitter, welder, truck driver or anyone else in a safety-sensitive position, the drug can pose dangers. The short-term effects of marijuana include distorted perception; loss of coordination; and problems with memory, learning and problem-solving, according to DEA. Workers should treat medical marijuana the same as other prescription drugs such as Vicodin or Percocet, which can impair mental and physical abilities and affect worker safety, said Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, a senior economist with Santa Monica, CA-based nonprofit research institute RAND Corp. Workers also should know the rules of their state and their employer, particularly if they are subject to Department of Transportation regulations or if their employer has federal contracts – both of which can supersede protections in state laws. Other variables exist, such as a wide range in potency levels of THC in different types of marijuana. Someone who ingests marijuana that has a higher THC content may become more impaired and, in turn, less safe. “We’re not talking about a single substance when we talk about marijuana,” said Pacula, who serves as co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. “It’s the equivalent of saying ‘alcohol’ and encompassing hard liquor with low-alcohol-content stuff. We need our laws and policies to be more mindful of that.” Meanwhile, many safety professionals have become more diligent about observing employees during stretch-and-flex drills, lunch breaks and other encounters. “In some of the states where medical marijuana is legal, we have been increasing our awareness and making sure that we look at our employees,” Carter said. “Get a visual on them. [Be aware] if they seem not on their game, if they seem distracted – for any reason, but especially for that. We have this saying. We call it, ‘Eyes on hands, mind on task.’ When you’re stoned, you’ve got none of that going on.”

I am ecstatic Swift blocked DP's entry into trucking (of course in the Stoner's mind, supports why he questions their validity as a company, as if he knows anything about Swift, or the trucking industry as a whole). No doubt every other company represented on this forum by serious minded, professional drivers would do the exact same thing.

DP if you are reading this...please, for your own safety and the safety of all the mommies driving their kids to daycare, DO NOT ENTER THIS BUSINESS UNTIL YOU ARE COMMITTED TO LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT GETTING STONED. If you can't,... stay away...far, far away in your little protected world of tangerine trees, marmalade skies and marshmallow pies...

Here is a link to the entire article: Marijuana Use in Safety Sensitive Occupations

Totally agree with G-Town and all the other similar comments.

There are two issues here: !) is marijuana use harmful to health? This could be debated endlessly and should be relegated to the "political, religious" categories that we don't pursue here.

Issue number two: Is marijuana use legal under federal law? Absolutely not, so this is really a moot point.

As far as the OP not being able to get a job to support his family, what a non-argument. What is the unemployment rate? Get a job! There are so many options. Just don't get a driving job.

“My qualification for Swift was just reversed since I explained to the recruiter that I used marijuana under Doctor's advice for just a few days. ”

He is full of it right from the beginning anyway.

In NY, medical marijuana is not marijuana. It is an oil, a pill (capsule), or a cape pen, with the component that gets you high supposedly removed. I say supposedly because it does still have THC at some level, though maybe just not enough to get you high.

You all may remember I was sweating the hair test because after I broke my ankle, I went on the MM program in NY. It fid not make me high, but it also did nothing for the pain. I gave up on it and stopped using it.

It was a good 6 months before I did my hair test and I apparently passed, since I am employed.

So no, he did not use marijuana “under doctors orders” in NY. He is full of crap.

Oops, that should be a vape pen, not cape

He is full of crap.

I feel we all reached that conclusion rather quickly, too.