Marijuana being considered for pilots

[arkavgal]

The same issues are present with alcohol use, as well. It's rare that pilots get 30+ days off, maybe once per year for the people who do, so if you implement the Canadian 28 day rule, then it really isn't an issue.

Regular, moderate alcohol use (1-2x/week) doesn't cause mild cognitive impairment that persists once alcohol is metabolized. THC stays in the system for days to weeks, continuing to affect the brain after the high is over. We can easily know if someone has alcohol in their system, but there is no reliable way to determine if they are impaired from THC. We are essentially going off the honor system. That works, until it doesn't.

 

[CoffeeIcePapers]

Regular, moderate alcohol use (1-2x/week) doesn't cause mild cognitive impairment that persists once alcohol is metabolized. THC stays in the system for days to weeks, continuing to affect the brain after the high is over. We can easily know if someone has alcohol in their system, but there is no reliable way to determine if they are impaired from THC. We are essentially going off the honor system. That works, until it doesn't.

Again, using the 28 day Canadian framework, a pilot would maybe only get to use it once per year, if ever. For a non habitual user, 28 days is more than enough to pass a standard urine test, so its really a non-issue.

Also, random tests are done after a sequence is complete, so the status quo is currently using the honor system.

 

[Inverted]

I support marijuana legalization, and I think this idea is nuts. Mild cognitive deficit is a well-established effect of regular THC use. The cognitive effects do not immediately go away once intoxication (the high from THC) dissipates, and as someone else said, there is no reliable way to determine if someone is intoxicated or impaired from THC. Thanks to Uncle Sam outlawing THC for decades, there is a dearth of research on the long-term effects of use. We simply lack sufficient data to know most of the long-term effects of THC use, but what we do know is not encouraging. A growing body of data links THC use to increased risks of psychosis and dementia. We just don't know how long after THC use it is safe to fly, given that its cognitive effects are not fully understood. Do we really want to allow pilots to use THC and take to the skies?

I mean, anyone can walk into a 7/11 on a 12-hour overnight and buy enough alcohol to kill themselves. How many times have we flown with somebody suffering from residual effects of alcohol, and they merely said they were tired? How many times have any of us flown under the potential residual effects of alcohol? How many people on this forum have flown with or have themselves suffered from a dependence on alcohol? Its rampid, it's dangerous, and it is a much bigger poison than THC.

The fact that we will sidestep mental health, poo-poo the idea of seeing a shrink, and demonize weed in 2026 while still glazing a poison that kills 2.6 million people worldwide a year still boggles my mind.

BTW, I love having drinks, so I am not anti-alcohol at all. But to pretend that THC poses any greater threat than the short and long term effects of alcohol use and abuse is crazy.

 

[arkavgal]

Again, using the 28 day Canadian framework, a pilot would maybe only get to use it once per year, if ever. For a non habitual user, 28 days is more than enough to pass a standard urine test, so its really a non-issue.

Also, random tests are done after a sequence is complete, so the status quo is currently using the honor system.

I'm not comfortable with the honor system. Simple as that. Such a system can be abused. I have a background in mental health, for reference.

I mean, anyone can walk into a 7/11 on a 12-hour overnight and buy enough alcohol to kill themselves. How many times have we flown with somebody suffering from residual effects of alcohol, and they merely said they were tired? How many times have any of us flown under the potential residual effects of alcohol? How many people on this forum have flown with or have themselves suffered from a dependence on alcohol? Its rampid, it's dangerous, and it is a much bigger poison than THC.

The fact that we will sidestep mental health, poo-poo the idea of seeing a shrink, and demonize weed in 2026 while still glazing a poison that kills 2.6 million people worldwide a year still boggles my mind.

BTW, I love having drinks, so I am not anti-alcohol at all. But to pretend that THC poses any greater threat than the short and long term effects of alcohol use and abuse is crazy.

I feel you're missing the point I'm making. I am not arguing that alcohol abuse is less dangerous. It's a devastating disease that affects not only the addict but also their loved ones. In that sense, it is more dangerous than THC. But at least we have a reliable way to determine if someone has enough ethanol in their blood to render them a threat to the safe operation of a vehicle or aircraft. We lack that ability with THC. And we don't know how much THC (dose x frequency) one can partake of and avoid having cognitive impairment.

As far as flying with someone suffering from residual effects of alcohol - that should probably be treated the same way it would be with any other illness a pilot has - don't fly. That's not really pertinent to the topic of whether pilots should be allowed to use THC. I think it's a bad idea.

 

[Oxman]