cannabisnews.com: FBI Bows to Modern Realities, Eases Rules 





FBI Bows to Modern Realities, Eases Rules 
Posted by CN Staff on August 06, 2007 at 20:17:08 PT
By Dan Eggen, Washington Post Staff Writer
Source: Washington Post
Washington, DC -- The buttoned-down FBI is loosening up: Under a little-noticed new hiring policy introduced this year, job applicants with a history of drug use will no longer be disqualified from employment throughout the bureau.Old guidelines barred FBI employment to anyone who had used marijuana more than 15 times in their lives or who had tried other illegal narcotics more than five times.
But those strict numbers no longer apply. Applicants for jobs such as analysts, programmers or special agents must still swear that they have not used any illegal substances recently -- three years for marijuana and 10 years for other drugs -- but they are no longer ruled out of consideration because of more frequent drug use in the past.Such tolerance of admitted lawbreaking might seem odd for the FBI, whose longtime director J. Edgar Hoover once railed against young thugs filled with "false courage from a Marijuana cigarette."But FBI officials say the move is simply an acknowledgment of reality in a country where, according to some estimates, up to a third of the population has tried marijuana at some point.The loosened standards also come as the FBI struggles to fill the jobs it has -- particularly in the areas of counterterrorism and intelligence, which draw from a more varied pool of applicants than traditional agent positions."One of the things we came to realize was that our drug policy was largely out of step with the rest of the intelligence community and much of the law enforcement community," said Jeffrey J. Berkin, deputy assistant director of the FBI's security division, which implemented the new guidelines. "We're going to focus less on a hard number and more on a whole-person approach. . . . The new policy just allows us a little more flexibility than the old policy."Even with the new, looser standards, the FBI's drug-use policy is still among the toughest in federal government and stricter than those of most private companies, Berkin and outside experts note.The CIA, for example, requires only that applicants have not used illegal drugs within the past 12 months, although "illegal drug use prior to 12 months ago is carefully evaluated during the medical and security processing," according to an agency advisory.Even the Drug Enforcement Administration leaves open the possibility of hiring employees who admit to "youthful and experimental use of marijuana.""Such applicants may be considered for employment if there is no evidence of regular, confirmed usage and the full-field background investigation and result of the other steps in the process are otherwise favorable," according to the DEA's Web site.At the FBI, the new rules allow the bureau to consider "all relevant facts, including the frequency of use," in deciding whether someone's drug history should bar a candidate from becoming an FBI employee."Someone who was actually an addict is probably not going to satisfy our needs," Berkin said. "Our standards are still very high. The level of drug history would still have to be something that we would characterize as experimental."Mark A. de Bernardo, executive director of the Institute for a Drug-Free Workplace, a nonprofit group, said he applauds the FBI for dropping its numerical measures, in part because such requirements could run afoul of disability discrimination laws."Someone who may have engaged in illicit drug use 20 years ago -- to say that person can never work at the FBI, that they can never be rehabilitated, would be not only inappropriate but possibly illegal," de Bernardo said. "I don't think this is sending a weaker message; I think the message can be just as strong, which is that we expect you to be drug-free."Under the FBI's previous policy, many job applicants who, for example, had experimented with marijuana in college often had difficulty recalling precisely how many times they may have used the drug, according to FBI officials and others. Even the definition of what constituted a single use -- one joint? a whole night of partying? -- was open to debate."We found it was difficult to draw a meaningful distinction between, for example, 15 uses of marijuana or 16 uses," Berkin said. "It was very arbitrary."Such uncertainty frequently led to problems on polygraph tests, which the FBI administers to all new employees. You cannot be hired if you are deemed to have failed the polygraph test."It was the drug question that was tripping up the most people," said Mark S. Zaid, a Washington defense lawyer who handles many employment disputes involving the FBI and other intelligence agencies. "They realize they were losing good people."Bruce Mirken, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates looser restrictions on marijuana use, called the policy change "a small step towards sanity" by the FBI."What it really does reflect is a reality that lots and lots of people in this society have used marijuana -- some of them have used it a fair amount -- and have gone on to become capable and effective citizens," Mirken said. "Are we really going to stop all those folks from serving our country?"Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, said there is no set standard governing past drug use for prospective federal employees. But Lemaitre and others said the FBI's new policy reflects a broader trend."Increasingly, this is less about someone who smoked pot a couple times when they were a kid in college and more about 'Do you have a drug problem now and are you lying about it now?' " Lemaitre said. "That's the shift you're seeing in both the private and public sectors."Staff researcher Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.Note: Policy Change Comes as Agency Struggles to Fill Openings.Complete Title: FBI Bows to Modern Realities, Eases Rules on Past Drug UseSource: Washington Post (DC)Author:  Dan Eggen, Washington Post Staff WriterPublished: Tuesday, August 7, 2007; A03Copyright: 2007 Washington Post Contact: letterstoed washpost.comWebsite: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ CannabisNews FBI Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/FBI.shtml
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Comment #25 posted by whig on August 08, 2007 at 23:59:31 PT
Hope
Green cannabis is harder to burn, too.
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Comment #24 posted by Hope on August 08, 2007 at 20:56:28 PT
Lol!
I just don't know. I don't know why it couldn't have been. But the bush wasn't burned up. Hey! Maybe it was cannabis. It can be hard to burn. Remember that silly story from Afghanistan where they had some hemp fields they claimed they couldn't burn?With that in mind...it very well could have been a cannabis bush.
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Comment #23 posted by whig on August 08, 2007 at 20:17:23 PT
Hope
You think it wasn't cannabis, though?
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Comment #22 posted by Hope on August 08, 2007 at 19:49:45 PT
Whig
:0)Burning bushel....not burning bush!
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Comment #21 posted by whig on August 08, 2007 at 13:53:53 PT
Moshe
I think that's what Museman called him.
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Comment #20 posted by whig on August 08, 2007 at 13:52:00 PT
Hope #18
One time there was this guy in Egypt and he came upon a burning bush.
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Comment #19 posted by Hope on August 08, 2007 at 13:19:45 PT
ABMCs
http://www.blackmouthcur.com/photo_gallery.htmI'm kind of partial to the ones with the red coloration.
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Comment #18 posted by Hope on August 08, 2007 at 13:11:56 PT
A bear!
They have noses and curiosity! I bet they would be attracted to the scent of a tiny bit of cannabis burning. Probably a roaring bushel burning would frighten them...but I would think they would be attracted to the scent of a cigarette, a pipe, or even a scented candle. I can just imagine one standing up....sniff, sniff, sniffing, curiously, the air that carried it.I'm so glad it didn't bother you more than it did.This bear business reminds me that I've given a little thought to getting another dog lately. From what I've been learning about them, and the ones I know of, have met, and know, I'm thinking seriously that a good Black Mouth Cur will be my next dog. They are so smart, loving, loyal, healthy, and brave. Not to mention so good looking...to me anyway.http://www.blackmouthcur.com/
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Comment #17 posted by Had Enough on August 08, 2007 at 03:19:42 PT
The Bear
EJ, did he wink at you? :)That is what my father always said when someone had a freaky moment with an animal.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 19:48:24 PT
jmoran 
I loved the debate tonight. I also liked the energy in the crowd. They booed Senator Clinton the one time. The debate had a lot of electricity. I gave up on the republican debates. They are so grumbly. 
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 15:57:55 PT
The Bear
EJ, I think bears are so cute but not in a residential area! 
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 14:46:08 PT
jmoran and greenmed
It will be at 7 pm et. Here's a link.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20122802/ Giuliani is probably very upset with his daughter for standing with Obama. She sure took it down fast when Slate broke the story. He's a scary man.
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Comment #13 posted by E_Johnson on August 07, 2007 at 14:31:44 PT
The bear
I went to bed before he did.It was a little exciting when I frst saw him and slammed shut my bedroom window. He heard the noise and came scampering in my direction.Then I cowered on the floor and called security. They chased him away but he came a half hour back later to finish up with the garbage.He also tore up a bicycle kiddie carrier that someone had left some food in.
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Comment #12 posted by greenmed on August 07, 2007 at 14:02:02 PT
FoM and whig
This might be news. Giuliani's daughter from one of his previous marriages supports Obama.http://www.slate.com/id/2171730/
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Comment #11 posted by jmoran on August 07, 2007 at 14:01:24 PT
FoM
I will watch the MSNBC presidential debate tonight though.
 
What time?
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 11:51:29 PT
whig
As long as the Democrats win I will be ok with it. I can't imagine Giuliani as president after how he "cleaned up" NYC. I still like Obama but I just like him because I just like him. I think it would be good to get a younger president so maybe some of the ones that run politics would retire. I know that is wishful thinking. It's not gonna happen though. It bums me out so I am not watching the news very much these days. I will watch the MSNBC presidential debate tonight though. 
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Comment #9 posted by whig on August 07, 2007 at 11:33:24 PT
FoM
You might be right and if so I'm not upset about it at this point. She's come around a long way without saying she was wrong before. She says she was given bad information, and I believe that.Anyhow the primaries are still a ways away, and sometimes the front runner in the early days isn't the eventual nominee. Who wins Iowa will matter in how the media covers this and they want there to be a horse race because it's good for ratings.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 11:19:29 PT
whig
I like John Edwards but I have come to the conclusion that Senator Clinton will be the next president. We follow this issue but most people don't and she keeps leading in the polls so I figure why waste my time caring? She seems destined because of the MSM's spin I guess to be the next president unfortunately.
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Comment #7 posted by whig on August 07, 2007 at 11:15:34 PT
FoM
John Edwards has said he would call off the federal raids on states with medical marijuana. I believe he is honest, because he is also someone who admits mistakes. I think he would be a better president than Hillary Clinton who is also saying she would call off the raids.
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 07, 2007 at 09:24:15 PT
OT: An Opportunity for Edwards To Lead
http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_cutler6_08-06-07_KB6I88Q.19d70de.html
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Comment #5 posted by Truth on August 07, 2007 at 08:13:30 PT
zip ties are in
according to sheriff Tom Allman.http://www.willitsnews.com/ci_6528486
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Comment #4 posted by Truth on August 07, 2007 at 08:07:17 PT
Scotch.....
the drug of champions.
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Comment #3 posted by Storm Crow on August 07, 2007 at 08:06:10 PT
A friend of mine...
Had similar problems with bears. She got relief by sprinkling her garbage with chili pepper powder. She had found these big jars of it at the Dollar Store and stocked up. Bears decided that her garbage was "less tasty" than her neighbor's and left her garbage alone! And I strongly doubt that smoke would attract bears, unless it was BBQ smoke! Most creatures dislike smoke instinctively and avoid it.
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Comment #2 posted by Treeanna on August 07, 2007 at 06:59:22 PT
Did you make it?
Ok, so what happened? Did he go away? You do realize he will be coming back, right? Better call the forestry folk and get some bear-defense advice.
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Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on August 07, 2007 at 00:55:58 PT
Urgent question, if anyone is up
Are bears attracted to the smell of cannabis?I'm asking because there's a giant bear eating garbage about 30 feet from my window right now and I need to medicate before bed and I really don't want to attract his attention.
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