The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the latest organization to change its cannabis rules when it comes to hiring.
The FBI has loosened its employment restrictions for past marijuana use 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.
Before this update, prospective employees of the agency could not have used cannabis within the past three years.
“Candidates 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,” FBI’s newly updated job site says.
The site now reads: “Candidates 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’s home state).”
The site says cannabis consumption “before the candidate’s 18th birthday is not a disqualifier for FBI employment.” However, “adjudicative personnel will evaluate the candidate by using the ‘whole-person concept.’”
Misrepresenting previous illicit drug use is also a disqualifying factor for prospective applicants.
“The FBI is firmly committed to a drug-free society and workplace,” the job site says. “The 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.”
The agency made no formal announcement of the cannabis-related policy change. It however had been alluded to in a tweet posted by FBI’s Chicago office this week.
FBI Chicago tweeted, “#FBI 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: http://ow.ly/dUlY50Fr3HL”
