Page 24 - ATR 6 2018 web

Trucking Watches a

Budding Industry

While more and more voters support cannabis legalization,
trucking keeps its eye on safety

By Lacey Thacker

Contributing Writer

Last year, the Arkansas Trucking
Report article, “Moving Medical
Marijuana,” reported on the
intersection between cannabis
legalization and the trucking industry.
Despite state-level legalization in
nine states at the time, there were
no known trucking association
members transporting the crop. Under
current Arkansas law, cultivators and
dispensaries may contract with licensed
transporters, who will be immune from
prosecution at the state level — but that
assurance does not provide relief from
transporters’ national responsibilities,
and transporting the crop across state
lines still violates federal law.
While there appears to be greater
national sympathy toward medical can- “WE’RE REALLY TRYING TO FOCUS ON HIGHWAY
nabis, only ten states and the District SAFETY, AND TRYING TO MAKE EVERYONE RUN SAFE
of Columbia have legalized recreational
cannabis use. Twenty-two have decrimi- ON THE ROADS. LEGALIZATION IS POSING SOME
nalized it. But medical cannabis, as of CHALLENGES TO THAT.”
the November 2018 elections, is legal
in a whopping 32 states. While recre- —ABIGAIL POTTER, MANAGER, SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL
ational cannabis is being handled in HEALTH POLICY AT AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS
much the same way as alcohol by non-
transportation employers — that is, don’t
show up to work intoxicated, and don’t free of prohibited substances, including as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.
use while at work — medical marijuana cannabis. Other states, like Colorado, do Schedule 1 indicates the substance has
is more complex. Some states, including not require employers to make accom- no medical value and a high risk of
Arkansas, whose first medical marijuana modations for such use. abuse. However, legislation has been
crop is expected in mid 2019, mandate On the national level, the federal proposed that would reschedule canna-
that accommodations be made for per- government shows few signs of budg- bis to Schedule 3, which could change
sons who are using prescribed medical ing. Use of medical cannabis is not cur- the conversation. Abigail Potter, manag-
cannabis. This is in contrast with federal rently protected by the Americans with er, safety and occupational health policy
law, which requires drivers be completely Disabilities Act due to its federal status 

24 Issue 6 2018 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT