Pubdate: Fri, 27 Feb 2015
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2015 The Washington Post Company
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Josh Hicks

POT MAY BE LEGAL IN THE DISTRICT, BUT IT REMAINS OFF-LIMITS FOR FEDERAL WORKERS

Although marijuana became legal in the District of Columbia on 
Thursday morning, federal workforce rules remain unchanged for the 
roughly half-million U.S. government employees and military personnel 
who live in the area.

After 12:01 a.m. Thursday, District authorities said anyone 21 and 
older could possess up to 2 ounces of pot, although the drug is still 
prohibited on federally administered properties, such as the Mall, 
Rock Creek Park and public housing.

Despite the new policy, which resulted from an initiative voters 
approved in November, the U.S. government still considers marijuana 
an illegal drug and expects its civilian and military personnel to 
abide by federal guidelines.

"You can't commit federal crimes and work for the federal government, 
and having pot is a federal crime," said Cheri Cannon, a former 
ethics attorney for the Air Force and the Small Business 
Administration who now practices at a private D.C. firm. "As an 
employee of the federal government, you have to be beyond reproach."

An executive order issued by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 requires 
the federal workplace and workforce to be drug-free. It includes 
especially strict rules for personnel who hold or apply for security 
clearances.

According to a recent memo from Edwards Air Force Base in California, 
the 1986 directive "expressly states that use of illegal drugs on or 
off duty by federal employees in positions with access to sensitive 
information may pose a serious risk to national security and is 
inconsistent with the trust placed in such employees as servants of 
the public."

Cannon, who specializes in federal labor and employment practices, 
said most drug testing within the federal workforce is administered 
to employees whose jobs are related to national security and law 
enforcement. Other employees are generally tested only when 
supervisors have reason to suspect they are using drugs at work, she said.

"I can't remember any time where I saw a federal employee impaired 
like that on the job," Cannon said. "Use of pornography is a more 
common disciplinary issue."

She said alcohol abuse among junior enlisted troops was also among 
the most common problems she encountered.

Even outside the federal workforce, the U.S. government has refused 
to relax its marijuana regulations. For instance, medical marijuana 
is legal in the District and several states, but the Department of 
Veterans Affairs will not prescribe the drug or complete paperwork 
for patients to enroll in state marijuana programs.

Some veterans have lobbied VA to prescribe medical marijuana for 
post-traumatic stress and physical pain, but the department has not 
relaxed its rules.

Eric Yoder contributed to this report.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom