White House Staffers Fired for Past Marijuana Use, Despite President Joe Biden’s Decriminalization Campaign

On March 24, Press Secretary for the Biden administration, Jen Psaki, confirmed that five White House staffers have been terminated because of previous marijuana use, with dozens of employees facing disciplinary actions, according to the White House’s March 24 Press Release. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have made clear their support to decriminalize marijuana, like how Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for President Biden, stated that “ Vice President Biden does not believe anyone should be in jail simply for smoking or possessing marijuana. He supports decriminalizing marijuana and automatically expunging prior criminal records for marijuana possession, so those affected don't have to figure out how to petition for it or pay for a lawyer” in 2019. This, when coupled with the fact that 15 states and Washington D.C currently permit the recreational use of marijuana, calls into question if the Biden administration can justify the firing of these staffers for past drug use. 

Source: Aaron Kittredge, Pexels

If Biden claims that no one should be in jail or penalized for their use of marijuana, then it is illogical for their administration to fire these staffers for their prior cannabis use. Doing so gives the appearance that the administration is not actively enacting their promise to decriminalize marijuana use. What makes the termination of these staffers even more unsettling is that Vice President Kamala Harris has openly stated she has previously used cannabis. In 2019, Harris appeared on the radio show “The Breakfast Club” where she openly shared her support for the legalization of marijuana and mentioned that she smoked cannabis during college. If a leader, and role model, of our country was able to attain her position despite having used cannabis before, then it is simply illogical to terminate White House staff members of a lower position than her for their use of the same drug. 

After the incident, the Biden Administration implemented a more lenient policy regarding employee marijuana use, but there is still question if this policy is entirely fair. On March 19, Press Secretary Psaki stated that, “the administration has tried not to automatically penalize potential staffers for legal behavior in their communities by developing a more flexible policy.” This policy allows for up to 15 past uses of marijuana in a year among White House staffers, though the use of hard drugs can still result in dismissal.  

Since this policy exists, there is no reason for the Biden administration to have fired the White House staffers for marijuana use alone unless their use exceeds the limit of past uses. Employers – as the White House is still an employer – can implement policies that prohibit or limit use of cannabis regardless of its legality, these policies are an invasion of privacy. I also agree that employees should maintain a level of professionalism by not using cannabis at work or even socially, to an extent, depending on their occupation. However, people are entitled to a right of privacy and should be able use cannabis recreationally as long as it is legal. That being said, Press Secretary Psaki tried to defend the administration’s decision with the idea that marijuana is still illegal federally. However, this miniscule difference in semantics only makes the administration look like they waver in their policies, which might make Americans lose confidence in the Biden administration.

As marijuana gets increasingly legalized across the United States, the Biden administration should develop future policies for marijuana usage to prevent unfair scenarios like this from happening again. In doing so, they must take into consideration that some staffers could reside in communities where the use of recreational marijuana is legal. This is very probable, since the White House is located in Washington D.C. where the use of cannabis is legal, and many staffers most likely live within the city limits.

The termination of White House staffers for their previous marijuana use can make Americans lose faith in the Biden Administration, question if their leader will fulfill their campaign promises and if they still have a right to privacy even in a society where marijuana use is increasingly becoming more legal. While the firing of these staffers was overall disappointing, we can only hope that the Biden administration can learn from their mistakes and do better for the American people.