In February, the Biden administration signaled that past marijuana use wouldn’t essentially disqualify an individual for employment in the federal authorities. It was a change that was seen as a strategy to open the door for youthful expertise, however one which solely took just a few weeks to be examined.
On Friday, responding to a news report in the Daily Beast that said “dozens” of younger employees members had been pushed to resign or had been reassigned to distant work based mostly on their past marijuana use, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, mentioned {that a} small variety of folks had been now not working at the White House after their past use of the drug had been assessed.
“The bottom line is this,” Ms. Psaki wrote, “of the hundreds of people hired, only five people who had started working at the White House are no longer employed as a result of this policy.”
The officers had been directed to resign, partially due to past marijuana utilization, in keeping with an individual acquainted with the matter however who was not approved to talk publicly. Several in that group additionally had different disqualifying components that surfaced when figuring out their eligibility to obtain clearances, that particular person mentioned.
Still, the episode highlighted how murky the new tips are, significantly for a White House that has pledged to embrace progressive positions, at the same time as President Biden has at all times maintained a reasonable stance towards legalizing the drug.
The matter additionally pits federal coverage in opposition to a transfer to legalize or decriminalize marijuana use or possession in particular person states — a complicating issue for officers who’ve arrived in Washington from locations the place use of the drug is permitted. Marijuana use and possession continues to be a federal crime, despite fast-growing public support to legalize the drug.
Last month, the White House made public a brand new set of tips for folks in the Executive Office of the President whose past marijuana use was decided to not disqualify them for employment, or from jobs that require top-secret safety clearances. Officials who’ve disclosed past marijuana use however are nonetheless permitted to work for the administration have been requested to signal a pledge to not use marijuana whereas working for the authorities, and so they additionally should undergo random drug testing, in keeping with officers.
There are additionally plenty of White House officers who’ve been directed to work remotely till they’ve been cleared to satisfy a brand new normal of past marijuana use set by White House personnel safety officers. Officials on Friday didn’t define what that timeline was or say how many individuals had been directed to work remotely, however mentioned it was not dozens, in keeping with two folks acquainted with the new insurance policies.
The new tips could have an effect on how folks in businesses throughout the federal authorities obtain safety clearances. In February, a memo on past marijuana use for all federal civilian employees was issued by Kathleen M. McGettigan, the performing director of the United States Office of Personnel Management.
“It would be inconsistent with suitability regulations to implement a policy of finding an individual unfit or unsuitable for federal service solely on the basis of recency of marijuana use,” she wrote. “Past marijuana use, including recently discontinued marijuana use, should be viewed differently from ongoing marijuana use.”
