Industry News May 2015 MARIJUANA POSITIVES DOUBLE IN WAKE OF LEGALIZATION AMS now incorporates this dire warning into every training session: if you care about your maritime career, smoke marijuana after you retire. Marijuana use poses a particularly acute danger to a mariner’s career due to the length of time that its metabolites linger in the human body. Toxicological studies indicate that metabolites from a single marijuana cigarette can linger in the body at detectable levels for up to five days. Heavy marijuana use can yield positive test results for weeks after the mariner has ceased use. Not everyone has gotten the message. In fact, marijuana positive rates in the maritime industry have doubled in the last few years. Since California sanctioned the medicinal use of marijuana in 1996, twenty three states have legalized its use for medical purposes, two have legalized recreational marijuana, and seven have passed laws prohibiting employers from discriminating against their employees for state-endorsed marijuana use. The powerful engines of popular culture and private industry are actively promoting the use of this drug. None of the above has altered federal policy vis-à-vis transportation industry employees. Marijuana remains a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. A positive test result triggers mandatory license revocation proceedings. And, for all intents and purposes, there is no defense. It doesn’t matter if the jurisdiction in which you lit your joint permits its use. It doesn’t matter if you have a prescription. It doesn’t matter if any physiological impact dissipated long before you returned to active service. All these defenses have been tried and every one has failed. Nor do we anticipate federal policy changing in the foreseeable future. Indeed, death and injury arising from transportation workers’ use of marijuana was a key factor driving the implementation of the existing drug testing program. Since 1988, our industry has taken giant strides toward achieving a drug-free environment, but there is a continuing need for vigilance and education. A new generation of mariners must be told in no uncertain terms: if you have chosen the maritime industry, you have chosen to remain marijuana-free.