Biden Administration May Deny Weed Investors Security Clearance |

Investing in a cannabis company could jeopardize a person’s bid to work under President Joe Biden, according to a new report this week.

Politico obtained a document detailing the new code of conduct for employees of the Biden administration and reported Wednesday that the rules “could potentially deny security clearance to people who have invested in companies involved in the marijuana business.” .

“Eligibility may be adversely affected if an individual knowingly and directly invests in stocks or business ventures specifically related to marijuana growers and retailers,” the document said. “Decisions to intentionally invest in such activities could reflect questionable judgment and an unwillingness to comply with laws, rules and regulations.”

The Biden administration has taken a relatively lax approach to employee past cannabis use; A White House official said last year that “the Biden White House has been more permissive than previous administrations about past marijuana use.”

But there were also reminders of the continued federal ban on cannabis. Last year, it was revealed that the White House fired dozens of staffers for past cannabis use.

The firings prompted a concerned letter to Biden from several Congressional Democrats, who said they were “dismayed to learn that several White House staffers have reportedly been suspended, placed on probation or asked to resign after coming out honest about their past cannabis use.” had disclosed”.

“We ask that you clarify your employment eligibility policies, remove prior cannabis use as a potential disqualification factor, and apply these policies consistently and fairly,” lawmakers wrote in the letter. “Cannabis is legal in 36 states for either medical or adult use, with more than 50 percent of the adult population having used cannabis in their lifetime.

That number is bound to increase as states across the country legalize through ballot initiatives. Just last year, five new states legalized cannabis through ballot initiatives, and many more states are currently preparing legislation to legalize cannabis. The American people are demanding a change in the punitive and harsh cannabis laws that have always been applied unequally.”

The Biden administration pushed back the reports, telling CNBC at the time that “no employees have been fired for cannabis use ‘years ago’ or for ‘occasional or infrequent use’ in the past 12 months.”

According to CNBC, “For example, President Donald Trump’s White House last year did not permit any past marijuana use, and Obama has not required marijuana use for the past six months, according to the official,” while the Biden administration claims its new policy ” has enabled about a dozen White House staffers to continue serving in the administration who would not have been permitted under the policies of previous administrations.”

Polls show that a majority of the public — including an overwhelming majority of Democrats — support ending cannabis prohibition.

However, Biden has long resisted the idea of ​​full legalization. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden said he supports the decriminalization of weed, but not an end to Prohibition.

The position has put Biden at odds with his party, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who has admitted to having smoked marijuana in the past and said she supports legalization.

In their letter to Biden last year, Democratic lawmakers alluded to the earlier use of Harris and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

“Those in the upper echelons of your administration will not, and should not, face consequences for their cannabis use, but the same standard should be applied across the administration,” the letter reads.

A survey of cannabis industry executives last year revealed a relatively pessimistic outlook for legalization under Biden. 62 percent said they don’t believe the current government supports cannabis, while 41 percent said federal legalization is at least five years away.