After background checks, several White House staff members were asked to resign, were suspended, or are now working remotely because they revealed past marijuana use.
Additional security factors, including hard drug use, caused five people to lose their jobs at the White House.
Although marijuana use is legal in many states, it is still illegal on the federal level, which is an obstacle during the federal security clearance process.
On Friday, the White House underscored that it had eased some security clearance policy restrictions to be more lenient about employing individuals with a history of drug use.
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, tweeted that the White House “worked with the security service to update the policies to ensure that past marijuana use wouldn’t automatically disqualify staff from serving in the White House.”
“As a result, more people will serve who would not have in the past with the same level of recent drug use,” she added. “The bottom line is this: of the hundreds of people hired, only five people who had started working at the White House are no longer employed as a result of this policy.”
The White House is giving out a limited number of waivers to staff members on the requirement that employees of the Executive Office of the President qualify for Top Secret clearance to work.
To be granted an exception, employees must agree to stop using marijuana, agree to a pledge not to use marijuana during government service and undergo random drug tests. The employees will work remotely until their past usage meets the standards set by the Personnel Security Division.
