420 with CNW — Past Cannabis Use Won’t Be a Disqualifying Factor for Potential Hires for White House Positions

March 4, 2021 04:25:59

The new White House administration recently issued revised guidelines whose purpose will be to resolve the matter on recreational cannabis use for individuals hired to fill crucial White House positions. While the use of cannabis is legal in various states and cities across the country, it is not legal under federal law, which makes it a potential basis for disqualification in acquiring security clearance.

Transition officials had earlier identified recreational cannabis use as a possible obstacle for applicants, which prompted the White House to begin waiving a requirement that would permit possible appointees in the President’s Executive Office be allowed, on a case-by-case basis. The officials stated that this waiver would only be afforded to individuals who would be occupying positions that did not need security clearance and had used cannabis only on a limited basis.

An official in the White House noted that the policy only applied to cannabis use, adding that under the new policy, a few appointees would still not be issued a waiver, depending on the extent of their admitted cannabis use.

During the November elections, four states voted to legalize cannabis use, joining Washington D.C. and 11 other states in allowing recreational cannabis use for adults, in addition to roughly  three dozen states that allow medical cannabis use, including Oklahoma, Utah, Florida and Michigan.

Despite this, however, cannabis continues to be classified as a controlled substance under federal law, with applications for minimum security clearances requiring persons to answer questions about any past use of drugs. While not all White House staff require security clearance, all appointees must undergo a vetting process that allows officials to determine whether an individual is at least eligible for clearance.

In turn, any person who obtains the security clearance waiver must agree to random drug testing, in addition to agreeing to terminate the use of cannabis for the whole period of their government service.

Another White House official who declined to give the specifics on how many possible appointees would have been disqualified due to cannabis use did reveal that the issue of cannabis use affected many applicants, which was enough to prompt the administration to review the policies that were in place.

The revised policy came a few days after the Office of Personnel Management’s acting director circulated a memorandum to other agency and executive branch department heads, which outlined the criteria that should be considered when assessing possible new hires.

Meanwhile, many companies are advancing the field of cannabis medicine. For instance, RYAH Group Inc., which is planning to list on the CSE this year, has a patented dose-measuring and monitoring platform that allows clinicians to regulate the administration of cannabis medicines remotely.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to RYAH Group Inc. are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/RYAH

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