The FBI has loosened employment restrictions for would-be agents who’ve previously used marijuana. In one of the latest signs that the cannabis reform movement is having a federal impact as more states enact legalization, FBI quietly updated its hiring policies 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. Previously, 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. As recently as May 30, the site read: “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).” Another exemption was added in this latest update. Now, 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.’” The agency made no formal announcement of the cannabis-related policy change, but it was alluded to in a tweet posted by the FBI’s Chicago office on Wednesday.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 07/07/2021 14:12:00