WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is concerned that reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug could make driving on roads and flying on airplanes more dangerous. As Emily’s Hope reported earlier this year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. The proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and state that it has less potential for abuse than some other drugs, such as heroin. However, it would not legalize marijuana for recreational use.
The NTSB is warning that the rule could prevent federally required drug testing for airline pilots, truck drivers, and others in safety-sensitive positions. Laboratories certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for such testing are not authorized to test for Schedule III controlled substances.
“Removal of marijuana testing from DOT and HHS drug testing panels for safety-sensitive transportation employees would remove a layer of safety oversight that employers have been managing for decades, and it would prevent DOT and HHS drug testing from acting as a deterrent to marijuana use by those employees,” the NTSB said in a statement. “Additionally, the NTSB would no longer have DOT and federal workplace marijuana test results as evidence in our investigations.”
Earlier this month, the NTSB issued a safety alert urging parents nationwide to protect their teens from marijuana-impaired driving. This alert followed the final report on a deadly 2022 collision in Oklahoma that claimed the lives of six teenagers. Investigators determined that the 16-year-old driver was likely impaired by marijuana.