Federal Jobs Would No Longer Be Off-Limits For Marijuana Users Under New Bipartisan Push

A bipartisan duo of lawmakers seeks to end a discriminatory practice of disqualifying those who apply for federal jobs or receive security clearance for past or present cannabis use.

The bill titled "Cannabis Users' Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act" was introduced by Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamin Raskin and co-sponsored by South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican.

Under the new measure, the cases of those who were previously declined security clearances or federal job opportunities due to their marijuana consumption would also be re-evaluated.

The bill aims to "eliminate the draconian, failed and obsolete marijuana policies that prevent talented individuals from becoming honorable public servants in their own government," Raskin said.

"Every year, qualified and dedicated individuals seeking to serve our country are unable to secure federal jobs and security clearances because the federal government has not caught up with the widely established legal use of medical and recreational cannabis," he added.

The new legislation is backed by the Drug Policy Alliance, the Due Process Institute, the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and the US Cannabis Council.

"For too long, the federal government has been denying Americans civil service opportunities solely because of its outdated attitudes toward cannabis and those who consume it," Morgan Fox, political director at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said.

Ed Conklin, executive director of the U.S. Cannabis Council, emphasized that cannabis use is not a reason enough to prevent those seeking to serve their country as federal employees from doing it.

Previous Efforts

Meanwhile, the move comes a year after the biggest federal workers union in the nation, The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), called for removing policies penalizing federal workers over their off-the-clock marijuana use in states where the plant is legal.

Avril Haines, director of national intelligence (DNI), signaled earlier the sentiment might be shifting in that direction.

The use of controlled substances, Haines wrote in an internal notice distributed to nearly 100 agencies in late 2021, "can raise security concerns about an individual's reliability and trustworthiness to access classified information or to hold a sensitive position, as well as their ability or willingness to comply with laws, rules, and regulations."

Still, federal agencies seem to be firm in their anti-marijuana stance, with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) being just one of many urging its employees not to use cannabis.

Price Action of cannabis-related ETFs:

• Cambria Cannabis ETF TOKE is down 0.25% at about $6 a share on Friday.
• Amplify Seymour Cannabis ETF CNBS is up 1.18% at last check on Friday, at about $3.86 a share
• AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF YOLO is down 0.78% Friday at about $2.55.
• ETFMG Alternative Harvest MJ is down 0.68% at about $1.46.
• AXS Cannabis ETF THCX is up 1.11% at $1.82.
• Global X Cannabis ETF POTX is up 1.23% at last check on Friday, hovering at around $6.60.

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, the place where deals get done, is returning to Chicago this Sept 27-28 for its 17th edition. Get your tickets today before prices increase and secure a spot at the epicenter of cannabis investment and branding.

Photo: Courtesy of Iryna Rahalskaya on Shutterstock