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Legalized Marijuana and the FAA

Old 04-30-2018, 11:38 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by 7Thirty7s4Life View Post
wrong you are
He's right... sometimes. Depends on which CBD oil you use, and how much.

The military bans it because they don't want drug test results being questioned because of claims of CBD use.

If you pop positive on a DOT test, waving a bottle pf CBD in their face is not going to save your job. But the upside is you can smoke anything you want after the FAA shreds your certs.
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Old 04-30-2018, 12:37 PM
  #32  
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Do whatever you want. Grow a beard, stick your head out of the flight deck window and take a selfie, go to Denver and eat some edibles. Just be sure to post it online.

Frankly, it does not bother me one bit. People like that allow for more movement in seniority lists, make room in the industry for those who actually deserve it, and make me look good. As a former check airman told me, "Don't complain about the idiots in our pilot group. Without them, we might be in the bottom half of the bell curve."
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Old 04-30-2018, 04:33 PM
  #33  
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It's a pretty interesting thought experiment.

If (and that's a big if) marijuana is completely legalized, for argument's sake, does the FAA or an employer have the right to dictate that a pilot may not, under any circumstance, partake in it's use? Let's say that Wayfarer Airlines instituted a strict 'no alcohol' policy for it's flight crew. No crewmember may, at any time while employed, ingest alcohol. And there are random tests conducted that could detect use as far back as 90 days. Would they have a legal leg to stand on?

Certainly there would be limitations on it's recency of use or the prohibition of actually being impaired while operating just like with alcohol currently. But even with the 8-hour rule, you need some very specific evidence to catch someone on that. Like eyewitnesses or video that proves it was ingested within the window (which I'm sure has happened). More likely, people get caught for actually being impaired and get violated on that. With the detection window for marijuana use so broad, would it be legal to jam someone up for, say, smoking over a vacation period 6 weeks prior?

I think there may be a lot of interesting legal trials if this actually comes to fruition.
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Old 04-30-2018, 06:08 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Frankie Avalon View Post
It's a pretty interesting thought experiment.

If (and that's a big if) marijuana is completely legalized, for argument's sake, does the FAA or an employer have the right to dictate that a pilot may not, under any circumstance, partake in it's use? Let's say that Wayfarer Airlines instituted a strict 'no alcohol' policy for it's flight crew. No crewmember may, at any time while employed, ingest alcohol. And there are random tests conducted that could detect use as far back as 90 days. Would they have a legal leg to stand on?

Certainly there would be limitations on it's recency of use or the prohibition of actually being impaired while operating just like with alcohol currently. But even with the 8-hour rule, you need some very specific evidence to catch someone on that. Like eyewitnesses or video that proves it was ingested within the window (which I'm sure has happened). More likely, people get caught for actually being impaired and get violated on that. With the detection window for marijuana use so broad, would it be legal to jam someone up for, say, smoking over a vacation period 6 weeks prior?

I think there may be a lot of interesting legal trials if this actually comes to fruition.
Nothing interesting at all. Just because it's not illegal doesn't mean you have some inherent right to use it. An employer could certainly ban the use of any substance they wanted, particularly for safety-sensitive employees.

An employer could ban all alcohol use as well, but then they would have trouble finding employees, and the public would think they were over the top. At least one airline bans nicotine use (although it's only enforced at the time of hire).

Actually DOT would maintain the current ban anyway, unless someone came up with a way to measure actual impairment, like a breathalyzer (current tests just show if you've used it in the last month or so).
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Old 04-30-2018, 06:17 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by rickair7777 View Post
Nothing interesting at all. Just because it's not illegal doesn't mean you have some inherent right to use it. An employer could certainly ban the use of any substance they wanted, particularly for safety-sensitive employees.

...At least one airline bans nicotine use (although it's only enforced at the time of hire).
They can only ban you from using a substance or being under the influence of a substance when you are ON DUTY, but they cannot ban you from using a LEGAL substance when you are off duty. But most on this board will be retired before any policy allows an airline pilot to use any form marijuana. First, the federal government has to allow it, then the DOT must create some type of regulation, then an employer would either have to allow it, or an employee would have to challenge the policy in court.
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Old 04-30-2018, 06:59 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by 2StgTurbine View Post
They can only ban you from using a substance or being under the influence of a substance when you are ON DUTY, but they cannot ban you from using a LEGAL substance when you are off duty.
Sure they can. Just because it's legal doesn't mean employers have to let you do it.

The first amendment ensures that free speech is legal, but try speaking freely in public about your employer in a negative light and see how long you last. Employers can do almost anything that's not PROHIBITED by law... if you don't like you can always quit.
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Old 04-30-2018, 08:04 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by 2StgTurbine View Post
They can only ban you from using a substance or being under the influence of a substance when you are ON DUTY, but they cannot ban you from using a LEGAL substance when you are off duty.
The DOT/FAA can too. They prohibit pilots from taking numerous otherwise legal drugs while exercising the privileges of their certificates.
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Old 05-01-2018, 10:00 AM
  #38  
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A friend of mine had major surgery and was out for a few months. They used cbd cartridges from a legal dispensary to reduce the use of opioid pain meds. They had the blessing of their doctor. If you go to a legal dispensary and ask for cbd for pain, it usually has a small percentage of thc. Look up "entourage effect of cbd/thc". My friend used the 10 to 1 cbd/thc vape cartridges for about 6 weeks after surgery while using much smaller amounts of prescribed opioids. 5-10 puffs a day. It also comes in other forms like lozenges and oil. When you are done with pain mitigation, You can go to Walmart and buy a THC drug test kit for $12. Pee in the cup after 5 mins you will know if you pass. Don't go to work till you pass. If you don't pass, wait a week and do it again. I've read it can 4-6 weeks of being pot free for chronic users of regular pot which has high thc to pass a pee test. Watch the last CNN episode "Weed 4" for some current info on medical use of pot.

It works and opioids can be very bad. No one has died from a pot OD. But I think it will be years before the feds will loosen the control of it. AG Jeff Sessions is a big obstacle right now. I'm sure Big Pharma lobbyists are against it too.
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Old 05-01-2018, 11:13 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by AKpilot View Post
A friend of mine had major surgery and was out for a few months. They used cbd cartridges from a legal dispensary to reduce the use of opioid pain meds. They had the blessing of their doctor. If you go to a legal dispensary and ask for cbd for pain, it usually has a small percentage of thc. Look up "entourage effect of cbd/thc". My friend used the 10 to 1 cbd/thc vape cartridges for about 6 weeks after surgery while using much smaller amounts of prescribed opioids. 5-10 puffs a day. It also comes in other forms like lozenges and oil. When you are done with pain mitigation, You can go to Walmart and buy a THC drug test kit for $12. Pee in the cup after 5 mins you will know if you pass. Don't go to work till you pass. If you don't pass, wait a week and do it again. I've read it can 4-6 weeks of being pot free for chronic users of regular pot which has high thc to pass a pee test. Watch the last CNN episode "Weed 4" for some current info on medical use of pot.

It works and opioids can be very bad. No one has died from a pot OD. But I think it will be years before the feds will loosen the control of it. AG Jeff Sessions is a big obstacle right now. I'm sure Big Pharma lobbyists are against it too.
Good advice, I agree it's far less risky than opioids. Although this only works if you have a significant medical condition that allows to stay out on med leave. Ongoing use for routine aches and pains could be dangerous career-wise.
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Old 05-01-2018, 12:19 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by AKpilot View Post
A friend of mine had major surgery and was out for a few months. They used cbd cartridges from a legal dispensary to reduce the use of opioid pain meds. They had the blessing of their doctor. If you go to a legal dispensary and ask for cbd for pain, it usually has a small percentage of thc. Look up "entourage effect of cbd/thc". My friend used the 10 to 1 cbd/thc vape cartridges for about 6 weeks after surgery while using much smaller amounts of prescribed opioids. 5-10 puffs a day. It also comes in other forms like lozenges and oil. When you are done with pain mitigation, You can go to Walmart and buy a THC drug test kit for $12. Pee in the cup after 5 mins you will know if you pass. Don't go to work till you pass. If you don't pass, wait a week and do it again. I've read it can 4-6 weeks of being pot free for chronic users of regular pot which has high thc to pass a pee test. Watch the last CNN episode "Weed 4" for some current info on medical use of pot.

It works and opioids can be very bad. No one has died from a pot OD. But I think it will be years before the feds will loosen the control of it. AG Jeff Sessions is a big obstacle right now. I'm sure Big Pharma lobbyists are against it too.
I’m for just about anything that gets people off of opioid pain killers. Those things are so addictive and are ruining lives.

However, what you are saying would involve lying on your medical certificate application.

The marijuana laws are way out of whack with logic and public opinion
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