A coalition of transportation and safety organizations, led by the American Trucking Associations, sent a letter Monday to federal officials raising "serious safety concerns" about the Trump administration's plan to reschedule marijuana under federal drug law, warning it could disrupt cannabis testing for truck drivers, pilots, transit operators and other safety-sensitive workers.
The letter was sent to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, DEA Administrator Terrance Cole, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The groups said officials are moving with "urgency" under a Trump executive order but argued the process hasn't adequately weighed transportation-safety impacts, urging coordination during the ongoing rescheduling hearing and rulemaking process.
In May, the Department of Transportation (DOT) issued guidance confirming that truckers, pilots and other regulated workers still cannot use medical marijuana without punishment despite rescheduling. "Marijuana use is not compatible with safety-sensitive functions," the department said, noting medical review officers cannot treat a positive cannabis test as negative based on state-legal medical use, since such products aren't FDA-approved.
The coalition said DOT's testing program depends on HHS Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs and HHS-certified labs, and warned rescheduling could strip DOT of the infrastructure to test even if its legal authority remains intact. They also noted no validated real-time impairment test exists, and the National Transportation Safety Board has urged that any final rule preserve testing for safety-sensitive employees.
The groups asked officials to safeguard long-term marijuana testing for safety-sensitive workers, affirm DOT-regulated employers' testing authority, keep HHS lab certification aligned with DOT's mission, and adopt a coordinated federal strategy on rescheduling's transportation impact.
Earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee adopted a provision requiring continued marijuana testing for government and safety-sensitive workers "regardless of any future changes to the legal status or scheduling." That followed a press conference where prohibitionist groups, a drug-testing industry group and two Republican lawmakers pushed for a rescheduling "carve-out" letting safety-sensitive workers still be penalized for THC positives, since Schedule III status would otherwise nullify a 1986 Reagan executive order defining illegal drugs as Schedule I and II substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
Last October, Duffy said Trump was "getting pressure" to reschedule marijuana, calling it "really addictive" and warning reform sends a "dangerous" message. "At a time when culture is pushing and celebrating the use of marijuana, we're not talking about the risk," he said.
