In February, Biden ‘s administration noted that marijuana use in the past would not disqualify a person from employment in the federal government. It was a change that was seen as a way to open the door to younger talent, but one that only took a few weeks to prove.
On Friday, responding to a news report in the Daily Beast which said that “dozens” of young workers were pushed to retire or were reassigned to remote work based on the marijuana use that was Jen Psaki, White House news secretary, said. a small number of people were no longer working at the White House after a previous drug assessment.
“This is the baseline,” Ms said. Psaki wrote. “Of the hundreds of people recruited, only five newcomers to the White House are out of work as a result of this policy. “
Officers were directed to resign, in part because of past marijuana use, according to someone familiar with the case but not authorized to speak in public. There were a number of reasons in that group as well with other disqualification features that emerged when determining whether they were eligible for evictions, the person said.
However, the program explained the deception of the new guidelines, especially for a White House that has pledged to take on leading positions, even as President Biden has always taken a moderate stance toward the drug. legalization.
The case also sets out a federal policy against a move to legalize or decriminalize the use or possession of marijuana in individual states – a difficult feature for officers who have reached Washington from where the drug is licensed. used. The use and possession of marijuana remains a federal crime, despite rapidly growing public support to legalize the drug.
Last month, the White House unveiled a new set of guidelines for people in the Presidential Executive’s Office who have used marijuana in the past to prove not to be disqualified from earning, or from jobs that require secret security clearances. Officials who have used marijuana in the past but are still allowed to work for the administration have been asked to sign a pledge not to use marijuana while working for the government, and must they also go into randomized drug tests, according to officials.
There are also a number of White House officers who have been directed to work remotely until they are evicted to meet a new level of marijuana use in the time set by White House staff security officers. Officials did not say on Friday what the timeline was for that permit or how many people were directed to work remotely, but two people familiar with the new policies said it was not dozens. .
The new guidelines could affect how people in organizations across the federal government can get security clearances. In February, a memorandum on past marijuana use for all federal civilian employees was issued by Kathleen M. McGettigan, acting director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Regulation.
“It would be inconsistent with policy fitness rules to apply to find an individual who was unfit or unfit for federal service solely on the basis of a marijuana use disposal basis,” she wrote. “Marijuana use in the past, including recently discontinued marijuana use, should be viewed in a different way from continued marijuana use.”