Cannabis Use and Fitness-for-Duty Standards for Aviation Personnel

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Aerospace Medicine faces an urgent need to establish clear, scientifically defensible, and operationally actionable fitness-for-duty standards for pilots and air traffic control specialists (ATCS) in the context of evolving federal cannabis policy. Recent federal actions, including Executive Order 14370 and subsequent partial rescheduling of cannabis, have created a dual-status regulatory environment (Schedule I recreational vs. Schedule III medical use), while DOT drug testing and FAA medical certification standards remain unchanged. This misalignment introduces significant operational risk by: (1) increasing the likelihood and normalization of cannabis use; (2) complicating disclosure and compliance; and (3) leaving the FAA without validated criteria to determine when individuals are no longer impaired. The central policy question is: Following cannabis use, what elapsed time ensures both (1) absence of operational impairment and (2) compliance with DOT drug testing requirements? Due to the urgency of near-term policy decisions and the inability to conduct new primary research in the required timeframe, the FAA requires structured, policy-relevant interpretation of existing scientific evidence. This project will deliver that capability through a National Academies–facilitated expert meeting series over ~12 months, enabling FAA policy development and implementation within 12–18 months.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $202,208.00
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Managing Organizations:

  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute-Federal Aviation Administration

  P.O. Box 25082
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73125
• Project Managers:

  Schneiderman, Jason

• Performing Organizations:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591

  National Academy of Sciences

  500 5th Street, N.W.
  Washington, DC    20001
• Principal Investigators:

  Schneiderman, Jason

• Start Date: 20260618
• Expected Completion Date: 20270813
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pilots; Air traffic controllers; Drug tests; Drug use; Health; Marijuana; Policy; Standards
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Aviation; Policy; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01995010
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Federal Aviation Administration
• Files: RIP, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 7 2026 9:41AM