Stopping cannabis discrimination in the workplace starts with President Biden

We need to stop discriminating against cannabis use in the workplace and why it starts with Pres. biden

The year is 2022 and cannabis users across the country may still face discrimination in the workplace for current or past cannabis use.

Drug testing for marijuana just shouldn’t be a thing anymore. The exception to this argument are security-sensitive jobs, such as B. those where the employee may need to drive or operate machinery; But otherwise, for desk jobs, it is already inhumane and completely wrong to penalize people for cannabis use – whether they do it recreationally or whether it’s legal with an MMJ card.

At the time of writing, adult-use marijuana is legal in 19 states plus Washington DC and Guam, while 39 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Guam have legalized it for medical use. Yet, employer discrimination for cannabis use is still so widespread, costing people their jobs and career opportunities. All this must end, but for that we must look to our own President.

Pres. Biden has not lived up to his campaign promises

Back in 2020, Pres. Joe Biden promised to decriminalize cannabis use and even eliminate past cannabis crimes. He made promises to support states’ right to reschedule and legalize cannabis. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have kept his promises. To make matters worse, the White House announced last June that interns who wanted to apply but had a history of cannabis use could be disqualified. An application window for White House interns opened June 6-24, but the site’s FAQ page indicated that past cannabis use can disqualify interns.

They did so even after Kathleen M. McGettigan, senior adviser to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), released guidance in 2021 that federal agencies should not automatically bar individuals from federal employment simply because they had previously used marijuana . “OPM’s illicit drug use eligibility requirements do not allow authorities to automatically find individuals who are unfit for federal service because of marijuana use prior to appointment,” she says in the memo. “Even if a person has used marijuana illegally without evidence of substantial rehabilitation, authorities cannot deem a person unfit unless there is a connection between the conduct and integrity or…. the efficiency of the service,” it says.

However, federal employees are still subject to a bill called EO 12564, or Drug-Free Workplace, which requires federal employees to refrain from using federally illegal drugs. It also states that current users of illicit drugs may not be suitable for employment. But why then should they ditch the legacy of cannabis use and not give existing staff a chance to reform?

Previously, in May 2021, dozens of White House staffers were either asked to resign, suspended or forced to participate in a remote work program solely because of their past cannabis use. This is wrong in many respects, especially since Pres. During his campaign, Biden made it appear as if he would support the legalization of cannabis. There have also been instances of employees being told by their managers that the administration would overlook some cannabis use, but they were later eventually asked to resign.

“There have been one-on-one meetings with individual employees who were affected — actually, ex-employees,” a former White House aide who was fired told The Daily Beast. “I was asked to resign,” they said. They added that no aspect of the decisions was even explained to them and that the decisions were guided by Anne Filipic, White House director of management and administration. “The guidelines were never explained, the threshold for what was excusable and what was inexcusable was never explained,” they said.

A White House spokesman responded to the issues, saying the administration is “committed to bringing the best people into government — particularly the young people whose commitment to public service can be deepened in these positions,” they said . “White House policy will uphold the very highest standards of service in government that the President expects of his administration, while recognizing the reality that state and local marijuana laws across the country have changed significantly in recent years changed,” they said. “This decision, made after extensive consultation with career officials, will effectively protect our national security while modernizing policies to ensure talented and otherwise well-qualified applicants with limited marijuana use are not prevented from serving the American people,” The reported Daily Beast.

In that case, why have they still barred interns from applying to the White House Internship program?

Cannabis bans in the workplace are not necessary

Again, unless the physical safety of others is at risk, there is no need to prohibit past or current cannabis use in hiring employees. People who drive and fly, restaurant workers who work near open flames, and other similar workers face stricter safety and drug use policies.

But for the rest of the workforce, there are ways for HR managers to create sensible drug policies, but completely preventing employees from using them just isn’t fair.

Workers should be protected, and it should protect those in blue-collar jobs as well as non-whites. There are many equity issues to be resolved here, and the fact that the federal government treats cannabis the same way it treats heroin makes it clear that the big heads in government need to take this matter seriously AND urgently.

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