Washington — Although initial data suggests that marijuana legalization has “negatively impacted highway safety,” it’s still “too soon to calculate” an overall relationship between the two, according to a new report.
For the report, the American Transportation Research Institute – the research arm of the American Trucking Associations – analyzed data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, existing research, and ATRI surveys of truck drivers and motor carriers on the effect of marijuana legalization on driving and industry operations.
Findings show that, from 2020 to 2022, more than 100,000 truck drivers tested positive for marijuana through the clearinghouse and were removed from duty. Although those drivers may return to work after “a series of remedial steps are taken,” the report claims the positive tests contributed to a perceived driver shortage that has remained an industry issue in recent years. Previous studies have found an increase in nonfatal crashes related to marijuana legalization.
Among the 3,300-plus drivers who responded to the survey, 55.4% believe marijuana legalization hasn’t impacted highway safety, while 34.1% said it has.
Around half of the drivers (50.2%) reported that it’s either very common or common for truckers to leave the industry for work that doesn’t require testing for marijuana. Within the survey of more than 230 carriers, 56.3% said they’d be willing to hire a driver…
