HomeTesting Blog: "The Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Department of
Transportation (DOT) have made their stand clear on recreational marijuana initiatives that
were approved in Washington and Colorado.
In a statement, SAMHSA said “there
have been no changes to the panel of drugs being tested under the federal
Drug-Free Workplace Program (DFWP).” That means, federal employees will
continue to undergo marijuana test at
the established cut off levels in the Mandatory Guidelines.
DOT, in its Dec. 3 notice, states the ballot initiatives “will
have no bearing on the Department of Transportation’s regulated drug testing
program.” The agency will continue to require drug testing applicants
and employees in safety-sensitive positions, such as pilots, school bus
drivers, truck drivers, train engineers, subway operators, aircraft maintenance
personnel, transit fire‐armed security
personnel, ship captains, and pipeline emergency response personnel, among
others.
“We
also firmly reiterate that an MRO will not verify a drug test negative based
upon information that a physician recommended that the employee use “medical
marijuana” when states have passed “medical marijuana” initiatives,” DOT said
in its recreational
marijuana notice. “It is important to note that marijuana remains a
drug listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. It remains
unacceptable for any safety‐sensitive
employee subject to drug testing under the Department of Transportation’s drug
testing regulations to use marijuana.”
Source: Keep Arizona Drug Free
