Cannabis & NASA Michoud Assembly Facility

Last verified: April 2026

The Space Launch System Site

In East New Orleans, NASA Michoud Assembly Facility is the assembly site for the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage and was historically the build site for Saturn V first stages. The facility sits within the New Orleans metro on the eastern edge of the city, with direct access via the Mississippi River barge route.

The Workforce

Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and other primes employ thousands at Michoud — all subject to federal contractor drug-testing standards:

• Boeing — SLS core-stage prime contractor.
• Lockheed Martin — Orion crew vehicle work.
• Aerojet Rocketdyne — RS-25 engine integration.
• Numerous subcontractors and small businesses — supporting the Artemis program.
• NASA civil servants — government workforce.

The Drug-Testing Reality

• Federal-contractor drug-free workplace policies apply under the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.
• NASA-prime contractor pre-employment screens include THC testing.
• Cleared workforce — many Michoud-area positions involve security clearances; SF-86 cannabis questions apply.
• OSHA process-safety oversight on the assembly floor adds employer liability to drug-testing decisions.

Cannabis Use Will Fail a NASA-Prime Pre-Employment Screen

The East New Orleans Geographic Reality

Michoud sits in the New Orleans metro — within Orleans Parish or close to its edges. The contrast is sharp:

• Within walking distance of Michoud, civilian Orleans Parish residents enjoy NOPD cite-and-release plus DA Williams declination.
• Inside Michoud, federal jurisdiction and federal-contractor employment rules apply.
• The geographic adjacency does not transfer state-medical-cannabis protections into the federal-contractor workforce.

The Saturn V Heritage

NASA Michoud's status as the historic Saturn V S-IC first-stage build site (1962–1972) gives the facility a unique place in American space history. The facility's federal-contractor culture predates state medical-cannabis programs by decades, and that culture has not adjusted to state-by-state cannabis liberalization.

Other Federal Sites in Louisiana

• NAS-JRB New Orleans in Belle Chasse (Plaquemines Parish) — Joint Reserve Base.
• Coast Guard stations across Louisiana's coast.
• NWS New Orleans and other federal-civilian sites.
• Federal courthouse Eastern District (NOLA) and Middle District (Baton Rouge).

Practical Takeaways

• If you work at Michoud or for a Michoud prime/sub, do not enroll in the Louisiana medical-cannabis program without consulting an employment attorney first.
• Pre-employment cannabis screens at Michoud-area federal contractors will catch metabolites — plan for a 30-day clean window before testing if cannabis use is in your history.
• Spouses and dependents of Michoud personnel — generally not subject to federal testing themselves but household cannabis presence can raise SF-86 questions.
• The Region 1 Marijuana Pharmacy (H&W Drug Store) is geographically close to Michoud but legally inaccessible to federal-tested employees there.

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