The White House confirmed on March 19, 2021, that five Biden administration staffers were terminated at least in part because of their prior use of recreational marijuana. In a statement to the Associated Press, Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted that a number of issues beyond marijuana use also contributed to the terminations.
A February 2021 memo to federal agency heads from the Office of Personnel Management advised that, while marijuana remains illegal under federal law, past use should not automatically block potential federal employees. With the policy changes, “more people will serve who would not have in the past with the same level of recent drug use,” Psaki tweeted when she confirmed the five dismissals.
The AP reported that the Biden administration allows “15 past uses in a year among White House staffers.”