Bipartisan leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a comprehensive transportation bill that includes provisions requiring federal officials to develop evidence-based marijuana impairment standards for driving. The proposed legislation, titled the “Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development (BUILD) for America’s 250th Act,” was announced by Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rick Larsen (D-WA), the chair and ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, respectively.
The 1,005-page bill addresses various aspects of transportation infrastructure, with a specific focus on drug-related issues and safety. Its introduction comes as regulatory bodies continue to navigate the complexities of cannabis use in safety-sensitive contexts, including the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) recent reaffirmation of its strict policy on medical cannabis for certain workers, as previously reported by Hemp Gazette.
Developing Marijuana Impairment Standards
The proposed legislation mandates the Secretary of Transportation to collaborate with other relevant federal agencies to conduct a study on the effects of marijuana and polysubstance impairment on driving. This study is intended to analyze existing measures for detecting and reducing impaired driving incidents.
Following the study, federal officials would be required to:
- Propose evidence-based impairment standards specifically for marijuana or polysubstance use.
- Submit a report to Congress detailing the progress made in establishing these standards.
This initiative aims to provide a scientific basis for future policies related to impaired driving, moving towards objective metrics for assessing impairment rather than relying solely on presence of substances.
National Drug-Involved Crash Data Collection System
In addition to developing marijuana impairment standards, the bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a national drug-involved crash data collection system. This system would be designed to:
- Collect standardized toxicology data from states for crashes resulting in fatalities or serious injuries.
- Link crash data with medical, coroner, hospital, and emergency medical services records to provide a comprehensive view of incidents.
- Provide model protocols for specimen collection, testing, and reporting to ensure data consistency across jurisdictions.
Under this system, the Department of Transportation would be authorized to award grants to states. These grants would support pilot programs for enhanced data collection and provide funding for toxicology laboratories, specimen collection, training initiatives, and the development of robust data systems and linkage capabilities. The bill allocates $110 million for this effort from Fiscal Years 2027 through 2031.
To protect individual privacy, all collected data would be deidentified before public release. The transportation secretary would also be required to provide Congress with a report analyzing trends, substance types, and geographic patterns identified through the system.
NHTSA Report on Impaired Driving Prevention Technology
A separate provision within the legislation directs the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to submit a report to Congress. This report would detail the status of collaborative research efforts aimed at advancing impaired driving prevention technology.
Context: DOT’s Stance on Medical Cannabis
The introduction of this bill follows recent guidance from the Department of Transportation, which reiterated that truck drivers, airline pilots, and other safety-sensitive workers remain prohibited from using medical marijuana, irrespective of state-level legalization or federal reclassification discussions. The DOT emphasized that “Marijuana use is not compatible with safety-sensitive functions,” according to a report by Marijuana Moment. Medical Review Officers (MROs) cannot verify a laboratory-confirmed marijuana positive drug test result as negative, even if an employee claims it was due to state-licensed medical cannabis. The agency clarified that even after any federal rescheduling, medical marijuana dispensed under state law does not constitute a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is a key criterion for DOT policy.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Hemp Gazette does not provide medical recommendations, diagnoses, or treatment plans. Always consult a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any decisions regarding your health or any medical condition. Statements concerning the therapeutic uses of hemp, cannabis, or cannabinoid-derived products have not been evaluated by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Medicinal cannabis products in Australia are accessed via prescription pathways under TGA regulation.
