Law Enforcement: FBI Lowers Bar on Past Marijuana Use by Would-Be Agents
In the midst of a campaign to hire hundreds of new agents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has loosened its policies on past drug use by potential applicants. The old policy, in effect since 1994, disqualified applicants who had smoked marijuana more than 15 times or ever used any illegal drug.
Under the new policy, unannounced but in effect since January, applicants who have not used marijuana for the past three years or for more than just "experimentation" will not be barred. Applicants who have not used any other illegal drug for at least 10 years will not be disqualified, either.
FBI Deputy Director Jeff Berkin told USA Today that the previous system had become "arbitrary" and it was difficult for applicants to pass polygraph tests about drug use because they could not remember how many times they had smoked pot.
"It encourages honesty and allows us to look at the whole person," Berkin said as his agency sought to increase the number of applicants for the 221 agent positions and 121 intelligence analyst positions it has open.
The FBI is only the latest law enforcement agency to amend its policies on past marijuana use. Increasing numbers of departments are reporting problems with applicants being excluded over past pot-smoking, and increasingly, departments are loosening their standards. Even the drug czar's office understands.
"Increasingly, the goal for the screening of security clearance applicants is whether you are a current drug user, rather than whether you used in the past," said Tom Riley, a spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "It's not whether you have smoked pot four times or 16 times 20 years ago. It's about whether you smoked last week and lied about it."
digg
redditFBI and pot
Comment posted by Anonymous on Fri, 08/03/2007 - 3:34pmWow! That's a hopeful sign. It will allow more applicant to be honest! We still have a long way to go to get out of this hole!
Aloha,
Uncle Jim
FBI and pot
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sun, 08/05/2007 - 10:43amthis is great, before you could have an Einstein that the FBI was not able to hire because some kid was thrown into the college culture and smoked pot, the person could have been the genius with the fbi and solved a lot of problems. Same goes with 1 time dwi offenders, one offense and he cannot get admitted to medical school even though he has a 4.0...he could be the one who cures cancer
sincerely,
BEWILDERED
stop kids using pot
Comment posted by Anonymous on Wed, 09/05/2007 - 7:34amStop it now.Zero tolerance is needed .Fuck the idea that its harmless. Its not .The crapp softens will and turns potential winners into nothing.I have I know, stop the drugbarron maggots weakening AUSSIE and AMERICAN backbone/society.I am willing to help.POT IS JUST THE OF THE DOWNWARDTREND iknow.6^
How is it harmful? Please do
Comment posted by Anonymous on Fri, 09/07/2007 - 11:00pmHow is it harmful? Please do some research before talking out of your ass
Zero Tolerance
Comment posted by Anonymous on Thu, 09/13/2007 - 2:00pmYour Zero Tolerance post is a joke. Get a life you crazy son of a btch
weed
Comment posted by Anonymous on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 1:49amThere is actually a few studies demonstrating the long-term affects regarding weed usage. I have researched it thoroughly because I have smoked in the past and I was wondering if my past party choices were holding me back or causing me to lose what little intelligence I do have. Unfortunately it does have an affect on the amagdala (I think that is how you spell it), which is relative to your emotional strength, aggression, and fear. All those things could be reflected in working for th FBI at some point. I knew laughing for 5 minutes about how a dog ate a skittle of the floor before anybody could stop them couldn't be harmless. But that was some good sh**!
17 Year Old Son
Comment posted by Anonymous on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 10:55amMy son wants to be an FBI agent and just started smoking pot (three months ago). What are his chances of being an agent???? Did they really lower the bar on past marijuana usage....
17 Year Old Son
Comment posted by Anonymous on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 10:57amI forgot to mention he is a senior in high school.... straight A's and is very interested in criminal justice.... he still has college and plans on majoring in criminal law....
17 Year Old
Comment posted by Anonymous on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 4:55amI'm the same. I smoke occasionally and I'm a senior in high school considering a future as an FBI special agent. IF this article is accurate, as I hope it is, then no his chances should not be jeopardized. We 17 year olds tend to be vulnerable to periods of experimentation and for now it should not be considered a door-closer. As long as we "straighten out" within 3 years of applying for a job with the FBI, we should be completely fine.
Oh, and to the other guy:
It's spelled "amygdala." And you CAN'T be serious about actually believing pot can lower your intelligence.
Examples of smart people who have allegedly smoked pot:
Einstein, Carl Sagan, Shakespeare
FBI's use of the phrase "experimentation" with marijuana
Comment posted by Anonymous on Thu, 01/29/2009 - 2:42pmOkay, so the old policy on marijuana was no more than 15 times. And now they said they lowered it. But what does experimentation mean?! I've done it maybe 5 times and I'd like to do it a little bit more, but I'm not sure if I'm jeopardizing my spot in the FBI if I continue. I'm not sure what to think. Any input? Preferably from someone who knows for sure
Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sun, 03/08/2009 - 7:13pmSpeaking of the FBI:
The FBI does not like George W. Bush—Bush committed too many crimes.
George W. Bush committed hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism (indicated in my blog).
George W. Bush did in fact commit innumerable hate crimes.
And I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed other hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention.
Many people know what Bush did.
And many people will know what Bush did—even to the end of the world.
Bush was absolute evil.
Bush is now like a fugitive from justice.
Bush is a psychological prisoner.
Bush has a lot to worry about.
Bush can technically be prosecuted for hate crimes at any time.
In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy.
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
“GEORGE W. BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG
______________________
I am not sure where I had read it before, but anyway, it goes kind of like this: “If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memories so they never got stale and faded.” Oh wait—off the top of my head—I think the quotation came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.
FBI pot use
Comment posted by Anonymous on Fri, 08/03/2007 - 3:20pmUnder Lautenburg you cant buy a gun if you have a mistnomeaner pot charge from 10 years ago,but you can join the FBI and the government will buy you one!!