With cannabis becoming more and more acceptable in different states, different organizations have started changing their rules about employees using it. One of these most common changes involves the drug testing requirements for both current and potential employees. Specifically, more and more employers have changed the policy where they no longer test for THC, one of the most common ingredients in cannabis and the source of its intoxicating effects. In fact, lawmakers recently passed a bill in Washington D.C. to ban this testing for most employees. However, there are still exceptions to this ban as there are still certain employees that are undergoing the test. One of those types of employees is those in charge of transportation. The federal transportation agency has decided to make some changes in regards to these tests.

Marijuana Testing Procedure Change Origins

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is making a proposition for a new drug testing policy. This change involves the current DOT’s urine testing policy, which experts call “problematic” for a number of reasons. The first reason is because THC can still appear in a person’s urine for weeks or months after consumption. This results in false positive results when they aren’t actually impaired on the job.

Also, another reason is because people feel that forcing employees to urinate in the collection cup is an invasive procedure.

Marijuana Testing Procedure Changes Details

The changes that the federal transportation agency is suggesting is to move to oral saliva testing instead of urine testing. One reason that this change is being suggested is that it helps to combat the potential employees cheating on urine drug tests. Also, oral testing will be less likely to penalize casual cannabis users who used it weeks prior to the test. This is because THC is generally detectable in the saliva one to 24 hours after use.

Also, the proposal for this change describes how it would better detect the use of marijuana while also eliminating the chance of false positives from passive exposure.

Marijuana Testing Procedure Changes Opinion

Advocates of cannabis are supporting this move. They admit that it could still detect people who are no longer affected by a product they used the day before. However, they also state that it would seriously cut down on the false positives that occur in urine testing.

Potential for Changes

With these changes, employers will be better able to catch employees who are using these products when they shouldn’t. Granted, even the advocates admit that this change doesn’t perfect the testing process. However, it does make significant improvements thanks to cutting down on the false positives.

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