Guidelines for Cannabinoid Use – Drugs of Abuse

00:01 So, where does that leave organizations in the regulation of their members? Well, the Canadian Military have come out with a couple of guidelines.

00:08 They said that there is absolutely no use of any cannabinoid products whether ingested or smoked or whatever during a shift or when you are actively deployed out of country.

00:20 You cannot use the product eight hours prior to duty and if you're firing a weapon or if you're using a loaded weapon or carrying a loaded weapon, 24 hours have to be free of usage.

00:31 Now, if you are a pilot or if you work on an aircrew, 28 days of non-usage and the same applies to anybody who is joining a ship or submarine on deployment, you have to be free of the cannabinoid for 28 days.

00:45 That seemed excessive to a lot of people who are proponents of cannabis but I think, it was an entirely reasonable approach because what they're essentially acknowledging is that these products once smoked or ingested can remain in the system for up to 28 days and perhaps, even longer and they came up with kind of a compromise that says, "Okay, if you're doing something that's highly sensitive like operating an aircraft or if you're a pilot where you need split-second decision making capabilities, you should not have smoked cannabis or used cannabis in the 28 days prior." What I found strange was they said you can't operate an airplane but you can carry a loaded weapon which I'm not really sure what the rationale is behind that.

01:32 What about the Royal Canadian Mountain Police? They also had concerns about cannabis use in their members and essentially, they're saying that cannabis can intoxicate beyond the initial consumption which is what I've just been saying.

01:46 There is no established safe limits or data on how it affects performance in patients who are in high stress jobs like the RCMP.

01:56 So, forces, that's the mountain forces are being banned for use within 28 days of a shift, that's any work shift.

02:07 And there is a plan to ban all recreational cannabis use in a Royal Canadian Mountain Police Officers.

02:16 What about the United States? The United States Military Uniform Code of Military Justice is very clear.

02:25 Anyone who wrongfully uses any controlled substance which includes marijuana or any of its compounds, including products infused with THC, will be punished in a court martial as it may direct.

02:41 So, essentially, they're saying no.

02:44 The legal status of cannabis varies significantly across the world.

02:49 Medical use of cannabis is now legal in more than two dozen countries globally, reflecting its growing acceptance for therapeutic purposes.

02:57 In the United States, medical cannabis is legal in 38 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

03:07 When it comes to adult recreational use, possession of small amounts is legal in five countries worldwide. In the U.S., 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational cannabis use for adults. Despite these state-level laws, federal law still classifies marijuana as a schedule-wide drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which places it in the category of substances considered to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. However, individual states have passed their own laws, and the federal government has generally chosen not to interfere with state legal cannabis activities, even though they technically contradict federal law.