According to a document that was shared with Politico, the White House issued guidance that says those who hold investments in cannabis-related stocks or businesses may be ineligible to receive a security clearance from the federal government.
A document shared with the news agency states: “Eligibility may be negatively impacted if an individual knowingly and directly invests in stocks or business ventures that specifically pertain to marijuana growers and retailers. Decisions to willfully invest in such activity could reflect questionable judgment and an unwillingness to comply with laws, rules, and regulations.”
NORML’s Political Director Morgan Fox responded to the guidance and said, “It makes no sense to limit the talent pool that is eligible for security clearances just because some of these applicants may have invested in legal cannabis businesses at home and abroad. A growing number of US states and nations are regulating cannabis for medical or adult use and need private investment in these industries to help bolster their economies. The White House’s outdated, exclusionary policy is inconsistent with the rapidly changing legal landscape around cannabis in the U.S. and globally, and unnecessarily limits access to capital that small cannabis businesses desperately need.”
It was last year that the Bidel administration had fired several federal staffers for their past use of marijuana. Those firings came just weeks after the Office of Personnel Management issued updated guidance indicating that federal agencies should not automatically disqualify applicants from federal service solely because of their past use of either cannabis or other controlled substances.
According to a poll from January, most voters do not believe that President Joe Biden will follow through on his campaign promises to reform federal marijuana laws.
