Marijuana: Rising Positives, Research Possibilities

(Summer 2018) As with cocaine and meth rates, the Quest Diagnostic Drug Testing Index™ found positive tests for marijuana on a five-year climb in both the general workforce and the federally-mandated, safety-sensitive employee pool. The largest growth in positive screening results for marijuana in the overall American workforce was identified in states that have approved the drug for recreational use since 2016, including Massachusetts, Nevada and California. This trio of states showed notable jumps in positive marijuana tests among safety-sensitive, federally-mandated employees as well.

As marijuana use across the country increases, some lawmakers at the national level are attempting to loosen restrictions on cannabis testing with the hope that studies will determine if the drug has a valid medicinal application. The Medical Cannabis Research Act of 2018 was introduced in the U.S. Congress in April and already has the signature of 25 members of Congress. If passed, the legislation would safeguard medical and academic institutions against the loss of funding if they choose to conduct cannabis research. The measure will also foster greater cooperation between academia and for-profit businesses. The proposed legislation’s intent is to allow research facilities and the federal government to explore both the beneficial and negative attributes of the drug and finally bring those facts to light.

In May, Capitol Hill saw the roll-out of a second proposal for marijuana’s study. The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (VA) unanimously voted to move the VA Medical Cannabis Research Act to the floor for discussion. Proponents from both sides of the aisle are backing this bill to push the VA toward researching marijuana’s potential use in alleviating chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other conditions that afflict veterans at a higher rate than the general population. Although the potential legislation does not order the VA to conduct marijuana studies, it does state that the VA may perform research on the substance. Part of the rationale for this bill is the need to examine cannabis and other potential substitutes for highly-addictive opioids.

Marijuana is currently listed as a Schedule 1 drug. Substances classified as such are considered to have no valid medicinal properties and considerable risk for abuse; therefore, federal research is very limited. House members introducing the measure feel that the VA is an ideal organization to study marijuana, as the organization has a solid track record in medical breakthroughs, deep pockets and a population of patients suffering from chronic pain and PTSD.

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