Medical Marijuana Question

Hey guys, been lurking on here for a few months reading and watching you tube etc. I have been waiting for Oct for personal and professional reasons to start applying to trucking companies. I was going to check with Roehl, Knight (close to me) and CFI for starters and branch out depending on the answers I get etc.

One question I do have. My record is clean and my driving record is very clean but earlier this year I tried a medical marijuana card to see if it would help me sleep. It did but I didnt think the benefits were significant so I cancelled the card and it has been close to 4 months since I tried it.

I didnt know if this is something that I should mention when I call or not? With it being Medical I didnt know if that would be something they could even check or not? I am not ashamed of it ( it is legal here and I didnt do it very much) but I dont want to alarm them or scare them out of hiring me.

A lot of medical stuff is private because of the HIPA laws etc so I wasn’t sure what to do. I was planning on paying for my own follicle test before I make any decisions

Thanks for the help.

RIck

If the card is actually cancelled, just answer the questions truthfully about whether you have used drugs in x number of months. Don’t volunteer info and don’t lie.

I forget the time frame they ask but I’m sure someone here knows.

Hey guys, been lurking on here for a few months reading and watching you tube etc. I have been waiting for Oct for personal and professional reasons to start applying to trucking companies. I was going to check with Roehl, Knight (close to me) and CFI for starters and branch out depending on the answers I get etc.

One question I do have. My record is clean and my driving record is very clean but earlier this year I tried a medical marijuana card to see if it would help me sleep. It did but I didnt think the benefits were significant so I cancelled the card and it has been close to 4 months since I tried it.

I didnt know if this is something that I should mention when I call or not? With it being Medical I didnt know if that would be something they could even check or not? I am not ashamed of it ( it is legal here and I didnt do it very much) but I dont want to alarm them or scare them out of hiring me.

A lot of medical stuff is private because of the HIPA laws etc so I wasn’t sure what to do. I was planning on paying for my own follicle test before I make any decisions

Thanks for the help.

RIck

If you pay for your own test and it's traceable to you, you may not be able to honestly answer if you ever failed a drug test. The first question you should ask a recruiter is if the company is currently hiring from your area.

Then you could discuss your past drug use.

If I pay for the test wouldn't that be completely independent of failing a drug test at work?

I don't have to get one just thought it would be a good idea before I apply

Rick

I read that the testing goes back about 3 months

Rick

I read that the testing goes back about 3 months

Rick

From my research it is about a month for every half inch of hair.

I was an infrequent user until I started to look into this as a career change. When I found out about hair testing, I stopped at once. That was in late May. I plan on going to a lab and getting hair tested in a couple of weeks, just to make sure that it isn't detectable. That is private. If you get tested for pre-employment and fail, it is reported to the clearinghouse and you are screwed, outta luck.....literally, find another line of work.

Thanks Mark. That is what I was thinking. Appreciate your help

Rick

I read that the testing goes back about 3 months

Rick, I sure wouldn't count on that time frame. Each individual is going to test differently on a test like this. Overweight people may not metabolize the THC from their system as quickly as thinner people. Heavy users will vary from occasional users. There are many variables. I am just trying to warn you that you really have got to make sure you are clean before taking the risk of killing your career at the very onset.

We've had people come in here who claim they haven't used for six months. They have done their own hair test with no detection, and then they go and fail their pre-employment screening. This is something that is serious. I always recommend people stay clean for one year before risking a hair test. I have caught some push back over that suggestion. I know that seems like an extreme, but I have seen so many people get sent home over this hair testing, and they seldom ever get a second chance.

I would approach this with delicacy and extreme caution. You have got to make sure on this one. The longer you can wait to make sure your hair is clean is time well spent. I've had guys try to show me documents they found on the internet claiming I am way off on this suggestion. That's all fine and good. They can believe whatever they want. My goal is to help them get started in trucking. I have seen a lot of folks fail at this career. Many of them over misinformation they gathered online. It is not easy waiting - I totally get that. It is even harder to accept that you will be waiting the rest of your life.

I like to practice and teach best practices. When it comes to trucking you always want to err on the side of caution and prevention. There is very little room for error in this career, and even less when it comes to drug test results.

No

I would normally tell people who have "indulged" or "experimented" with pot or any THC product to wait a minimum of 6 to 12 months BEFORE taking any type of drug test as every person metabolizes things differently, and THC is usually stored in fat cells.... So the more body fat (BMI) you have, the longer it stays in your system. For hair folical testing, it is about 3-6 months for every inch of hair tested.

Now since you had your medical marijuana card, your name is more than likely on a registry or list maintained somewhere, and if the DOT looked for, and finds, your name on that list, they may decide to scrutinize any drug tests you take or even void your medical card and CDL.

My advice to you would be to talk to the doctor who issued the card and ask them to revoke it, the wait at least 1 year from the date you revoke it before you take a drug test, which if you stopped using any medical marijuana (or any marijuana for that matter) would be more than 1 year and would make it highly unlikely that you would test positive.... Remember, even trace amounts of THC would disqualify you from getting hired....

Remember to keep any records you have showing the last time you bought medical marijuana and ask the doctor who issued you the medical card for letter stating when they issued and revoked the medical card. This way when you take a drug test (UI or hair folical) you can show when you stopped in case of a positive result....

I would also avoid CBD products, unless prescribed by a doctor, and it is certified to have less than .03% THC in it.... My pain management orthopedist (who is going through the process of being licensed to prescribed CBD) told me that usually less than .03% should not trigger a positive result....

I hope this helps and is not to confusing....