Biden’s government said on Friday it had terminated five White House staffers over marijuana use as they tried in many states to balance federal law and rental guidelines with the legalization of the drug.
“We announced a few weeks ago that the White House has been working with the security service to update the policy to ensure that marijuana use does not automatically disqualify staff from serving in the White House,” Jen Psaki said. , White House press secretary, tweeted. an initial NBC report on the amended guidelines. “As a result, more people will serve those who have not been with the same level of recent drug use in the past.”
“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.
Several others with a history of cannabis use work remotely while undergoing fitness reviews, the White House acknowledged.
Psaki’s statement comes after a report in the Daily Beast in which three people are familiar with the situation, said that dozens of employees in the White House were suspended, asked to resign or placed in a remote work program due to the use of marijuana .
The numbers provided by the White House indicate that the problem is not so widespread, but that it also shows the difficulty of trying to go through conflicting laws and regulations regarding the use of marijuana.
NBC News first reported the White House’s efforts to address the issue last month when the government issued new guidelines for hiring to bridge the gap between federal states.
After what one official described as “intensive consultation with security officers” and the personnel security department, the White House said it would waive, on a case-by-case basis, a requirement for potential appointments to the president’s executive office. for top secret clearance.
Officials said remission would only be granted to those who have used marijuana on a “limited” basis and who are in positions that ultimately do not require a security clearance.
Those granted must consent to discontinue all marijuana use for the entire service of the government and agree to arbitrary drug testing. These employees will also be expected to work remotely for an unspecified period of time after their last recognized use of marijuana, although many staff members have worked remotely due to coronavirus restrictions anyway.
A White House official told NBC News last month that the new guidelines would effectively protect our national security while modernizing policies to ensure that talented and otherwise well-qualified applicants with limited use of marijuana are not barred from the American people. does not serve. ‘
The White House would not specify on Friday how many exemptions have been granted so far. There are a total of about 500 jobs in the White House, although most employees actually work in the Eisenhower office building across the street from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Psaki said the White House “worked in partnership with the security service to ensure that more people have the opportunity to serve than they would in the past with the same level of recent drug use. Although we will not in individual cases do not come, in many cases additional factors play a role in the small number of individuals who have been terminated. ”
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat who co-chairs the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, said in a statement: “What is happening now is a clear illustration of unrealistic, unfair and pristine cannabis policies. There is confusion all over the country due to outdated laws and the fact that the American public is not waiting for the federal government to convene. ‘
He said he hopes the government will find a way forward that is fair and realistic. ‘
Aaron Smith, chief executive of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said the White House’s actions sent “the wrong message to federal personnel managers, as well as policymakers and employers across the country.”
“Three of the last five presidents – including the current president’s current boss – have admitted to consuming marijuana,” Smith said. “The idea that a person would be unfit for service in the White House or not be eligible for a security clearance is ridiculous.”
The White House has made it clear that drug use outside of cannabis, or more extensive cannabis use, would not meet the criteria for obtaining a waiver.
In most cases where individuals are no longer employed in the White House, there were additional safety factors, including previous hard drug use, that were known according to the source. The misrepresentation of drug history in the White House’s paperwork or interviews with security personnel could be a factor that could lead to someone being deemed unsuitable for a security clearance.
Alicia Victoria Lozano contributed.