White House asks several staffers to resign over past cannabis use, report says

Several White House employees have reportedly been asked to resign for admitting to past cannabis use, regardless of whether the staff members had been located in states where it was legal at the time.

So far, 14 states and the District of Columbia have legalised marijuana for adult recreational use, and 36 states permit medical use of the drug. It is still illegal at a federal level however, which acts as a barrier to obtain a security clearance if past use is admitted.

While hiring staffers earlier this year, the Biden administration asked employees to disclose past cannabis use as part of a lengthy background check, but told some of them that they would “overlook” their answer, according to The Daily Beast.

This came after the White House updated its guidelines last month to allow for “limited” use of cannabis in the past, explaining that it did not want it to be a barrier to good candidates working for the administration.

However, White House director of Management and Administration Anne Filipic reportedly called several staffers this week to inform them that because they admitted to past cannabis use, they would have to resign or be placed in a remote work programme.

One former staffer who was asked to resign expressed surprise at the move, telling The Daily Beast that “the policies were never explained, the threshold for what was excusable and what was inexcusable was never explained.”

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Another staffer claimed that “it’s exclusively targeting younger staff and staff who came from states where it was legal.”

Under new guidelines introduced by the Biden administration, White House staffers have been asked to cease all cannabis use and are subject to random drug tests.

Last month, prominent Democratic senators Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker and Ron Wyden released a joint statement declaring their intention to push forward major cannabis policy reform during the Biden administration.

“The War on Drugs has been a war on people — particularly people of colour,” the statement reads.

“Ending the federal marijuana prohibition is necessary to right the wrongs of this failed war and end decades of harm inflicted on communities of colour across the country.”

The Democratic senators also stipulated that as “states continue to legalise marijuana” they will also work to “lift up people who were unfairly targeted in the War on Drugs.”

“We are committed to working together to put forward and advance comprehensive cannabis reform legislation that will not only turn the page on this sad chapter in American history, but also undo the devastating consequences of these discriminatory policies.”

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.