U.S. Transportation Department Issues Guidance on State-Approved Recreational and Medical Marijuana Use

In response to some states passing initiatives to permit the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance recently issued a memo about its drug-use policy for safety-sensitive transportation employees.  Construction industry workers covered by the policy include truck drivers and other safety-sensitive transportation workers. The memo, in a very direct way, explains that “state initiatives will have no bearing on the Department of Transportation’s regulated drug testing program,” which does not authorize the use of certain drugs, including marijuana, for any reason. The memo further clarifies that Medical Review Officers (MROs) will not consider a drug test negative even if a physician has recommended that the employee use “medical marijuana” in states where its use has been approved. Download a copy of the memo here.