The FBI has loosened employment restrictions for would-be agents who\u2019ve previously used marijuana.<\/p>\n
In one of the latest signs that the cannabis reform movement is having a federal impact as more states enact legalization, FBI quietly updated its hiring policies within the past month to make it so candidates are only automatically disqualified from joining the agency if they admit to having used marijuana within one year of applying.<\/p>\n
Previously, prospective employees of the agency could not have used cannabis within the past three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cCandidates cannot have used marijuana or cannabis in any form (natural or synthetic) and in any location (domestic or foreign) within the one (1) year preceding the date of their application for employment,\u201d FBI\u2019s newly updated job site says<\/a>.<\/p>\n As recently as May 30, the site read<\/a>: \u201cCandidates cannot have used marijuana within the three (3) years preceding the date of their application for employment, regardless of the location of use (even if marijuana usage is legal in the candidate\u2019s home state).\u201d<\/p>\n Another exemption was added in this latest update. Now, cannabis consumption \u201cbefore the candidate\u2019s 18th birthday is not a disqualifier for FBI employment.\u201d However, \u201cadjudicative personnel will evaluate the candidate by using the \u2018whole-person concept.’\u201d<\/p>\n The agency made no formal announcement of the cannabis-related policy change, but it was alluded to in a tweet posted by FBI\u2019s Chicago office on Wednesday.<\/p>\n #FBI<\/a> is firmly committed to a drug-free society and workplace. Constant review of our hiring and drug policies ensures that we continue to attract the most qualified candidates. To learn if recent changes to our marijuana policy affect you as a candidate: https:\/\/t.co\/iY5D3rXPfs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7eg7lPhSHP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 FBI Chicago (@FBIChicago) July 7, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n This is a significant development at one of the highest levels of law enforcement in a country where marijuana remains strictly federally prohibited.<\/p>\n It also comes one year after an FBI branch said the agency was \u201clooking into changing internal policy when it comes to the use of CBD products<\/a> by its agents and other employees\u201d since the product is now legal if it\u2019s derived from hemp.<\/p>\n Marijuana Moment reached out to FBI for clarification on the policy change, but a representative was not immediately available.<\/p>\n This might be more of a practical decision than one that necessarily reflects shifting opinions on cannabis within the agency.<\/p>\n Former FBI Director James Comey in 2014 suggested that he wanted to loosen the agency\u2019s employment policies as it concerns marijuana<\/a>, as potential skilled workers were being passed over due to the requirement.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to hire a great work force to compete with those cyber criminals and some of those kids want to smoke weed on the way to the interview,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, FBI did not change it overall policy on automatic disqualifications for people who are \u201ccurrently using illegal drugs, misusing or abusing legal drugs or other substances for illicit purposes at the time of the application process.\u201d For applicants who\u2019ve used illicit drugs other than marijuana, there remains a 10-year period before they can be considered eligible for employment.<\/p>\n Misrepresenting previous illicit drug use is also a disqualifying factor for applicants.<\/p>\n \u201cThe FBI is firmly committed to a drug-free society and workplace,\u201d the job site says. \u201cThe FBI balances the needs of the organization and the importance of keeping the public integrity necessary to accomplish its law enforcement and intelligence missions by hiring the most qualified candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n FBI\u2019s decision to take a less punitive direction with respect to cannabis for applicants is another example of how federal agencies are grappling with the ever-changing marijuana landscape in the U.S.<\/p>\n The Department of Defense, for example, made clear that CBD is off limits for service members<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Air Force\u00a0issued a notice<\/a> in 2019 stipulating that its members are prohibited from using the compound.<\/a><\/p>\n The Navy told its ranks that\u00a0they\u2019re barred from using CBD<\/a>\u00a0regardless of its legal status.<\/p>\n And the Coast Guard said in 2019 that sailors can\u2019t use marijuana<\/a>\u00a0or visit state-legal dispensaries.<\/p>\n NASA said that CBD products could contain unauthorized THC concentrations<\/a>\u00a0that could jeopardize jobs if employees fail a drug test.<\/p>\n The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration\u00a0issued guidance to federal agency drug program coordinators<\/a> in 2019, expressing concern about excess THC in CBD products, which seems to have prompted the various departments to clarify their rules.<\/p>\n The Department of Transportation took a different approach last year, stating in a notice that it would not be testing drivers for CBD<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Drug Enforcement Administration continues to enforce its policy<\/a> of automatically disqualifying applicants who\u2019ve used marijuana in the prior three years before applying.<\/p>\n And while the Biden administration has instituted a policy of granting waivers to certain workers<\/a> who admit to prior cannabis use, it\u2019s come under fire from advocates following reports that it fired or otherwise punished dozens of staffers who were honest about their history with marijuana.<\/p>\n White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has previously attempted to minimize the fallout<\/a>, without much success, and her office released a statement in March stipulating that nobody was fired for \u201cmarijuana usage from years ago,\u201d<\/a> nor has anyone been terminated \u201cdue to casual or infrequent use during the prior 12 months.\u201d<\/p>\n White House Invites Comment On How Drug Policies Create \u2018Systemic Barriers\u2019 For \u2018Underserved Communities\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post FBI Loosens Marijuana Employment Policy For Would-Be Agents<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The FBI has loosened employment restrictions for would-be agents who\u2019ve previously used marijuana. In one of the latest signs that the cannabis reform movement is having a federal impact as more states enact legalization, FBI quietly updated its hiring policies within the past month to make it so candidates areContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48707"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48707"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48708,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48707\/revisions\/48708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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