A coalition of transportation and safety organizations says the Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling could disrupt drug testing for pilots, truck drivers and other safety‑sensitive workers.
Led by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the coalition sent a letter on Monday to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, DEA Administrator Terrance Cole, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The groups asked federal agencies to preserve testing programs and laboratory standards while rescheduling proceeds.
What the groups want
The letter requests four concrete actions: safeguard long‑term marijuana testing for all safety‑sensitive transportation workers; publicly affirm DOT‑regulated employers’ authority to test; ensure HHS laboratory certification and testing guidelines remain available and aligned with DOT needs; and create a coordinated federal strategy to manage transportation‑safety impacts of rescheduling.
DOT guidance and testing limits
In May, the Department of Transportation issued guidance stating that employees in safety‑sensitive roles — including truck and bus drivers, airline pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers, air mechanics, rail operating personnel, dispatchers and signal personnel, transit operators and pipeline workers — may not use medical cannabis without facing disciplinary action. The agency told medical review officers (MROs) that a laboratory‑confirmed cannabis positive cannot be reported as negative even if the worker says the result stems from state‑licensed medical cannabis.
DOT explained that cannabis products dispensed under state law do not count as drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and therefore do not meet the agency’s criteria for a negative medical‑use determination. The letter from industry groups endorses DOT’s position but warns that rescheduling could create gaps in the testing framework DOT relies on.
HHS guidelines and laboratory certification
DOT’s drug testing program depends on HHS Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs and on HHS‑certified laboratories. The transportation coalition says it is unclear whether HHS testing procedures and lab certifications will remain available or applicable after cannabis moves from Schedule I to Schedule III. Without HHS alignment, DOT could retain legal authority to test but lose the scientific and procedural infrastructure it uses to detect recent use.
The groups highlight a technical problem: no validated test can measure real‑time cannabis impairment. For that reason, transportation safety relies on controlled‑substance testing to identify recent use and remove potentially impaired workers from safety‑sensitive duties. The coalition warns that rescheduling could create legal or regulatory gaps that weaken those testing programs.
Political and legislative context
Earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee adopted a provision directing federal agencies to continue requiring government employees and safety‑sensitive workers to be tested for cannabis regardless of future changes to scheduling. That action followed a press event by prohibitionist groups and a drug testing industry association calling for a rescheduling “carve‑out” to preserve penalties for safety‑sensitive workers who test positive for THC.
Opponents of rescheduling argue that moving cannabis to Schedule III would conflict with a 1986 executive order that treats Schedule I and II substances as illegal for federal employees, potentially limiting penalties for workers subject to DOT rules. Supporters of rescheduling contend the change would align federal policy with evolving medical and state regulatory landscapes.
Agency responsibilities and timeline
Coalition members asked federal officials to coordinate during the ongoing rescheduling hearing and rulemaking process. They said agencies are proceeding with urgency under an executive order from President Donald Trump, but that the process has not sufficiently accounted for impacts on transportation safety or on agencies charged with protecting the traveling public.
The groups urged immediate interagency collaboration so that any final decision preserves the operational tools DOT and regulated employers use to detect recent cannabis use. Without clear guidance, they warned, employers and safety regulators will face compliance uncertainty that could have direct effects on roadway, rail, transit, pipeline and airspace safety.
Statements and stakeholders
The letter cites the National Transportation Safety Board’s concern that a final rule must not weaken cannabis testing for safety‑sensitive transportation employees. ATA and allied organizations emphasized practical risks: if laboratory certification and HHS guidelines lapse or change, employers may lack reliable methods to confirm that workers are not actively using cannabis while on duty.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has publicly expressed reservations about rescheduling. Last October he said he was seeing pressure to reschedule cannabis and described marijuana as addictive, warning that policy changes could send a message that downplays risks to safety. The current administration has moved steadily toward rescheduling under executive directives, prompting the interagency and public debates reflected in recent letters and legislative language.
Next steps
Federal agencies now face two parallel processes: the scientific and administrative pathway for rescheduling, and the operational need to preserve drug‑testing systems used in transportation safety programs. The coalition asks agencies to provide legal and technical assurances — in rulemaking or guidance — that HHS testing protocols and DOT enforcement mechanisms will remain usable for employers and regulators.
If agencies do not issue such assurances before rescheduling takes effect, the coalition says employers could face immediate uncertainty about how to test employees and how to treat positive results. For now, DOT guidance stands: positive cannabis tests remain reportable and subject to employer action for safety‑sensitive transportation workers.
Reporting by transportation industry outlets and statements from agency spokespeople will determine whether federal rules or interagency agreements follow. The coalition’s letter asks for a coordinated federal strategy and for specific commitments to preserve testing and laboratory infrastructure as the rescheduling process advances.
