The Secret Service has announced their intention to soften on marijuana rules in order to field more applicants.
Remember not so long ago when marijuana use was a disqualifier for protecting the president? Well not so fast.
Now the secret service is relaxing some of their ultra strict rules regarding previous marijuana use for applicants. It seems the dangerous and stressful job is suffering from a lack of interested candidates.
“We need more people,” Randolph Alles, Director of the Secret Service said Thursday, according to CNN. “The mission has changed. It’s more dynamic and way more dangerous than it has been in years past.”
There are new challenges presented by the Trump administration for Secret Service agents. The president is known for his trips to Mar-a-Lago and other private clubs he owns. These destinations have not been accustomed to presidential visits in the same way Martha’s Vineyard or Camp David are.
“I think between that and the fact that he has a larger family, that’s just more stress on the organization. We recognize that,” Alles said.
Alles is seeking to hire approximately 1,000 new employees in the next two years. Ultimately, the Secret Service seeks to fill 3,000 positions by 2025.
The revised standards have already gone into effect. Previously, if an applicant consumed marijuana more than a specific amount of times, then they would be disqualified from consideration. Now the department will utilize a “whole-person concept.” Applicants will still go through a grueling vetting process that includes a polygraph and cannot test positive for marijuana.
The news only adds to the confusion coming out of the White House on marijuana policy. U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions is about as anti-marijuana as anyone can be in 2017. However, besides the Secret Service policy change, another federal institution, the VA, has signaled that they may consider marijuana use for veterans.
