President Biden may encounter some tough decisions regarding weed in the future. Are the higher-ups too out of touch with the kids these days? Last week, a Daily Beast article revealed that White House employees had gotten the boot for cannabis use.
“White House staffers have been suspended, asked to resign, or placed in a remote work program due to past marijuana use,” the article reported.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted an NBC News report from February that said the Biden administration wouldn’t automatically disqualify staff if they admitted to marijuana use in the past. She said that only five of the hundreds of staffers are no longer working at the White House because of the policy.
In the late 80s and 90s, Biden was a senator that was tough on crime; he was part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which set lengthy penalties for some drug offenses. But last year, he said people’s concerns about his involvement in this bill are “legitimate.”
Democrats have traditionally been the party that is more progressive when it comes to marijuana. However, during Biden’s campaign, he wasn’t so supportive. He has had concerns that it could be a “gateway drug” and didn’t include national legalization in his platform.
More than half of states have legalized medical marijuana, and 16 currently have legalized recreational use. After the 2020 presidential election, Gallup found that 68% of respondents supported the legalization of weed across the U.S.
What do you think? Should past weed use decide if you get the job or not? Will the Biden administration take action on cannabis?
Check out this article for more on cannabis policy reform.
