On the one-year anniversary of cannabis legalization in Canada, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is once again urging the government to implement a comprehensive drug and alcohol testing program for workers in safety sensitive positions like trucking.

Today, edible cannabis also became legal (legalization for these substances was delayed for a year), which is all the more reason for government to support zero tolerance drug testing policies of industries which are dedicated to safety and protecting the public.

While zero tolerance among carriers is already the industry norm, not all companies have the means or resources to go through a legal challenge when an employee refuses to take a drug or alcohol test.

“The Government of Canada must make it mandatory for all commercial truck drivers to be in a comprehensive drug and alcohol testing program. Based on the DriverCheck figures, people in our industry who never used marijuana before could now be consuming the legal product. The trucking industry does not care if its legal or not, we want to make sure that our drivers are always operating their vehicles in a sober state. The Government of Canada must empower all trucking fleets to operate mandatory drug and alcohol programs to ensure our sector’s stellar safety record regarding sobriety is maintained,” said Jonathan Blackham, CTA’s Director of Policy and Public Affairs.

 

Questions, however, still remain about the effectiveness of roadside testing for cannabis and CTA continues to urge government to work with industries and enforcement agencies on bolstering mobile testing resources and infrastructure.