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Five people are no longer employed at the White House, while additional staff members work remotely while their “aptitude clearance” is pending, a senior White House official said. In many cases involving staff who are no longer employed, additional safety factors were at play, including for certain uses of hard drugs, the official said.
Staff members were briefed on the decisions over the past month, two sources familiar with the situation said.
Although the use of marijuana is legal in many states, it is still illegal at the federal level, which can be a hindrance in the federal security clearance process.
The White House stressed on Friday that it has relaxed some restrictions in its security clearance policy to be more lenient in employing people with a history of drug use.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted on Friday that the White House “worked with the security service to update policies to ensure past use of marijuana does not automatically disqualify the White House staff “.
“As a result, more people will serve who did not have the same level of recent drug use in the past,” she added. “The bottom line is this: of the hundreds of people hired, only five people who had started working in the White House are no longer employed because of this policy.”
In a statement to CNN, Psaki said, “While we won’t go into individual cases, there were additional factors at play in many cases for the small number of people who were made redundant.”
Staff members requiring a White House security clearance are required to complete a detailed background check questionnaire, which includes questions about marijuana and other drugs. Applicants are asked to detail the type of drugs or controlled substances they have used and the frequency and frequency of their use.
Two sources said it was suggested to some during the presidential transition period that past use of marijuana may not prevent individuals from serving in the White House. A source said the marijuana policy was not made clear to staff members before filling out their questionnaires.
CNN’s Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.
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