- Several Democrats criticize the Biden White House over its marijuana policy for staff members.
- Staff have been asked to resign or have been told to work remotely due to their drug use, according to The Daily Beast.
- White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the policy has affected only a small number of staff members.
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Several leading Democrats are criticizing a White House policy that has disqualified or eliminated staff members for marijuana use, as The Daily Beast reported Friday.
Sources told The Daily Beast that dozens of young staff members had been suspended, asked to resign or told them to work remotely after informing the White House that they smoked marijuana with relaxation. apply for open roles.
The reprimand of members of the president’s own party is a major policy breach a few days after the successful passage of the $ 1.9 billion Democratic support package COVID-19.
California Democratic Representative Jared Huffman on Friday shared his displeasure with the policy with The Daily Beast, emphasizing that medical cannabis was now the law of the land in most states and Washington DC and stated that the country has developed further [former US Attorney General] Jeff Sessions’ hysteria about the chosen madness. ‘
“I want to find out how and why this happened, and of course I’m going to ask them to change course,” he said. “This government has promised a more enlightened approach, but somewhere along the line they have returned to dogma.”
Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, chairman of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, was even sharper in his criticism.
“What is happening now is a clear illustration of unrealistic, unfair and untouched cannabis policies,” he told The Daily Beast. “There’s confusion all over the country because of outdated laws and the fact that the American public is not waiting for the federal government to convene. This is an opportunity for the Biden government to help end the failed war on drugs. a more rational policy for all. ‘
He added: “Meanwhile, these young people should not be singled out and discriminated against for something that is legal in a large part of the country and supported by the vast majority of Americans.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed the setback to the report on Twitter, pointing out that of the hundreds of staff members appointed, only five individuals no longer serve in the administration.
“The bottom line is that of the hundreds of people hired, only five who started working at the White House are no longer employed because of this policy,” she wrote.
Psaki did not specify how many applicants may have been prevented from actually being appointed, but told The Daily Beast that there are other considerations pertaining to individuals affected by the policy.
“In an effort to ensure that more people have an opportunity to serve the public, we have worked with the security service to ensure that more people have the opportunity to serve than in the past with the same level. of recent drug use, “she said in a statement.” Although we will not speak in individual cases, in many cases there were additional factors for the small number of individuals who quit. “
Other members did not bite their tongue in response to the report, including California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna.
“This is an absurd policy that will prevent law-abiding people, especially coloreds, from pursuing careers in the public service,” he told The Daily Beast. “It is all the more unfair that many of these staff members have requested their safety clearances on the understanding that the use of marijuana would not be held against them.”
Although cannabis is legal in Washington and 14 states, possession of the drug is a federal crime as it is still considered a Schedule I drug, the “most dangerous class” of substances.