420 with CNW — Congressional Committee Authors R

420 with CNW — Congressional Committee Authors Report Urging Feds to Rethink Firing Employees Who Use Marijuana

Although federal law still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I controlled substance, more than 30 states have legalized it for either medical or recreational use. This classification has been a constant thorn in the industry’s side, preventing businesses in the cannabis space from accessing crucial banking and financial services. Cannabis consumers have also been caught in the middle, with many of them being penalized by the federal government for actions that are considered legal in their home states.

As such, a powerful Congressional committee has released a report urging federal agencies to reconsider firing employees for using state-legal marijuana. Alongside the report, the annual Financial Services and General Government (“FSGG”) spending bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee also includes a provision that would provide protections for banks that work with state-licensed cannabis businesses.

The committee stated its support for a recent memo sent to federal agencies by the Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”), saying in the report that admission of last cannabis use should not automatically disqualify people from employment. Additionally, a longstanding rider that blocks Washington DC from allowing cannabis sales was conspicuously absent from the spending legislation.

The report, which was attached to the FSGG spending bill, states that the committee supports the updated guidance by the OPM regarding whether past marijuana use affects an individual’s fitness or suitability for a federal position. The report also urged the federal government to reconsider and reevaluate policies that penalize workers for consuming cannabis products when they are legally allowed to do so in their home states. The report concluded that the employment policies should be updated to reflect changes to the laws regarding cannabis usage and how using state-legal cannabis can impact federal employment.

Although the House Appropriations Committee hasn’t made an explicit endorsement for loosening employment restrictions on cannabis use, it is asking the federal government to stop punishing employees for the inconsistencies between state and federal law. Reevaluating strict policies that penalize employees or applicants who admit to consuming cannabis in legal states to make them more lenient would be the first step.

Employees have been the most affected by the differing cannabis policies on the state and federal level, especially those working for federal agencies required to abide by federal law. Just a few months ago, stories emerged about how staffers in the Biden administration who had admitted to past cannabis use were being penalized in some form or other. Although press secretary Jeb Psaki said that no White House staffers had been fired for prior marijuana use, she hasn’t commented on whether they were suspended or placed in remote work programs.

When Congressional committees start voicing their concerns about the contradictions between federal and state marijuana laws, it goes a long way towards helping the cannabis industry, including companies working in the space, such as Hero Technologies Inc. (OTC: HENC), to send a stronger message that some degree of uniformity needs to be established in the way marijuana is regarded across the country.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Hero Technologies Inc. (OTC: HENC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/HENC

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