Sponsored link
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Sponsored link

Ask the bud man: No mercy for medical cannabis users who drive

By Ngaio Bealum

I really enjoy reading your. I’m a truck driver and I live down south. Anyways, I really enjoy smoking marijuana.  I used to when I was younger, but ever since I started truck driving I’m scared to even take a puff. I know the laws against truck drivers and marijuana are very strict and I could lose my license, but I believe I could get my medical card, seeing as I have this really bad leg pain; it’s my nerves and they told me I need an MRI. But would my medical marijuana card interfere with my right to keep on trucking? Or would I lose my license?

Kevin

Hi Kevin, thanks for your support. You could very well lose your license. California law has no protections for medical cannabis users. And don’t think you can sue. The California Supreme Court confirmed employer’s rights to fire mmj users in the case Ross vs. Ragingwire. Sorry, buddy.

48hillsngaioOne of the problems that employers and law enforcement agencies have with marijuana is that THC stays in the body even after it has stopped being psychoactive, making it difficult to run tests to determine if someone is impaired. If you are a regular cannabis user, you could have THC in your system even if you haven’t smoked for a few days. It took a friend of mine a month and a half of not smoking weed for her to finally test negative for pot.

Washington State’s new cannabis legalization law contains a “per se DUI” provision. If a person has more than 5 nanograms of weed in his or her system, he or she is automatically guilty of  a DUI. I’m not sure how enforceable that provision will be. Arizona has a similar law on the books, but the AZ  Supreme Court has recently ruled that a person cannot be charged with DUI for simply having THC in the body; the person must show signs of impairment. So we will see how Washington handles any cases that may appear.

Let’s keep talking about the rights of medical cannabis users.  Did you know that medical cannabis users are routinely denied placement on organ transplant lists?  Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense to me either.  However, the good folks at ASA (Americans for Safe Access) are working to get the Medical Marijuana Organ Transplant Act signed into law, but they are having a hard time getting traction. Do me a favor and head over to this site and show your support.

When can I start buying recreational weed in Washington?

Sponsored link

Help us save local journalism!

Every tax-deductible donation helps us grow to cover the issues that mean the most to our community. Become a 48 Hills Hero and support the only daily progressive news source in the Bay Area.

Spokane Sam

Soon. The WA Liquor Control Board has finally published a list of businesses allowed to begin the final approval phases of opening a retail establishment. 334 places will open all over the state. Look for shops by late summer. Woo hoo!

What are you smoking?

Kron S. Ewer

Right now I am on what could be my favorite hybrid of all time, Blue Dream.

Send questions to the bud man at ngaio420@yahoo.com

 

Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond
Tim Redmond has been a political and investigative reporter in San Francisco for more than 30 years. He spent much of that time as executive editor of the Bay Guardian. He is the founder of 48hills.

48 Hills welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor, which you can submit here. We also invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Sponsored link

Sponsored link
Sponsored link

Latest

Folsom 2025 promises Twisted Windows, joyful gates, a continually expanding Playground

Four of the kinky fair's players take us behind the juicy scenes (and history) of this year's fetish fest.

Good Taste: Portola Music Fest promises a Pokémon bowl, dirrty drinks—and no lines

Quaffable highlights for this weekend's bayside blowout, including the debut of beloved Saigon Sandwich

Puff: Sampling the best of blooms at a streamlined Hall of Flowers

Pros know the preeminent NorCal cannabis expo is the spot for sampling the year's hot buds.

Drama Masks: At Z Space, a flashback to the day that was much too much

'The Day the Sky Turned Orange,' plus 'The Reservoir''s ensemble work, and femmes rise in 'Indecent.'

You might also likeRELATED