{"id":50110,"date":"2021-09-23T05:00:17","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/09\/23\/fbi-clarifies-that-using-marijuana-more-than-24-times-disqualifies-would-be-agents\/"},"modified":"2021-09-23T13:45:53","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T21:45:53","slug":"fbi-clarifies-that-using-marijuana-more-than-24-times-disqualifies-would-be-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/09\/23\/fbi-clarifies-that-using-marijuana-more-than-24-times-disqualifies-would-be-agents\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI Clarifies That Using Marijuana More Than 24 Times Disqualifies Would-Be Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Activists were encouraged this summer when the FBI moved to loosen its employment restrictions for would-be agents who\u2019ve previously used marijuana<\/a>\u2014but the agency more recently further revised the policy to add a stipulation that applicants are ineligible if they\u2019ve used cannabis more than 24 times after turning 18.<\/p>\n

Why 24 times specifically? The agency doesn\u2019t explain.<\/p>\n

It simply said<\/a> in an update to its job eligibility guidance that candidates who \u201chave used marijuana or any of its various forms (e.g., cannabis, hashish (hash), hash oil, or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), synthetic or natural), in any location (domestic or foreign) regardless of the legality in that location of use, more than twenty-four (24) times after turning 18 years old is a disqualifier for FBI employment.\u201d<\/p>\n

In July, Marijuana Moment reported that FBI had updated its hiring policies to make it so candidates are only automatically disqualified from joining the agency if they admit to having used cannabis within one year of applying.<\/p>\n

Previously, prospective employees of the agency could not have used marijuana within the past three years.<\/p>\n

But at some point within the last month<\/a>, FBI set a new, seemingly arbitrary threshold for applicants. Use marijuana up to two dozen times after becoming a legal adult? You might still have what it takes to work at one of the nation\u2019s leading law enforcement agencies. Smoke a joint a 25th time? You\u2019re ineligible.<\/p>\n

That said, consumption prior to one\u2019s 18th birthday is \u201cnot a disqualifier for FBI employment,\u201d the agency said. Instead, \u201cadjudicative personnel will evaluate the candidate by using the \u2018whole-person concept.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Why the agency decided to add the new, frequency-related restriction is unclear. But its overall loosening of the rules on prior marijuana use this summer might be more of a practical decision than one that necessarily reflects shifting opinions on cannabis within the agency.<\/p>\n

Then-FBI Director James Comey suggested in 2014 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 has not changed 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\u00a0CBD is off limits for service members<\/a>. The department\u2019s drug testing policies was a focus of a spending bill report<\/a> that a key House committee recently approved. Members voiced concern about racial disparities in military drug testing practices and ordered the Pentagon to conduct a review of the issue.<\/p>\n

The Air Force\u00a0issued a notice<\/a>\u00a0in 2019 stipulating that its\u00a0members 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\u00a0sailors can\u2019t use marijuana<\/a>\u00a0or visit state-legal dispensaries.<\/p>\n

NASA said that CBD products\u00a0could 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>\u00a0in 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\u00a0it would not be testing drivers for CBD<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Drug Enforcement Administration continues to enforce its\u00a0policy<\/a>\u00a0of 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\u00a0granting waivers to certain workers<\/a>\u00a0who 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\u00a0attempted to minimize the fallout<\/a>, without much success, and her office released a statement in March stipulating that\u00a0nobody was fired for \u201cmarijuana usage from years ago,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0nor has anyone been terminated \u201cdue to casual or infrequent use during the prior 12 months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Marijuana Banking Sponsor Discusses Path Through Senate After House Approves Reform For Fifth Time<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Photo courtesy of Martin Alonso<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post FBI Clarifies That Using Marijuana More Than 24 Times Disqualifies Would-Be Agents<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: FBI Clarifies That Using Marijuana More Than 24 Times Disqualifies Would-Be Agents<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Activists were encouraged this summer when the FBI moved to loosen its employment restrictions for would-be agents who\u2019ve previously used marijuana\u2014but the agency more recently further revised the policy to add a stipulation that applicants are ineligible if they\u2019ve used cannabis more than 24 times after turning 18. Why 24Continue 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\/50110"}],"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=50110"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50111,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50110\/revisions\/50111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}