Sign our petition >> demand the Biden administration keep their promise!
Sign our petition >> demand the Biden administration keep their promise!
The White House initially announced that past cannabis use wouldn’t disqualify people from being employed in the federal government. Then, they broke that promise and forced out several staffers for past cannabis use — even if they used it in states where adult-use cannabis has been legalized!
We need you and tens of thousands of other grassroots advocates to sign our petition calling on the Biden administration to keep their promise! Will you read our petition and add your name ASAP?
Dear President Biden,
We are Americans from across the country who are deeply concerned by the recent removal of at least five staffers from positions in your administration due to their past association with cannabis. During the presidential campaign, you and Vice President Harris expressed a commitment to federally decriminalizing marijuana and established the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force in order to offer recommendations on how to advance federal reform.
At the outset of your presidency, your administration announced that past cannabis use would not disqualify applicants from federal employment. This display of leadership was an important positive step in addressing the harmful and discriminatory federal approach to cannabis, opening up opportunities for bright and values-driven Americans to enter public service.
However, according to widely circulated reports, multiple federal employees who were already offered employment in your administration have since been fired or reassigned following their forthright admission of past cannabis use during the hiring process. This abrupt and contradictory reversal of policy has only served to further increase the baseless stigma around cannabis and reinforce the dire need for comprehensive federal reform.
We, the undersigned, ask you to immediately reconsider this decision to punish employees for actions that have no bearing whatsoever on their ability to execute their responsibilities — and to renew your commitment to federal cannabis reform in line with the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force recommendations.
Past association with cannabis should not stand in the way of bright and promising citizens reaching their full potential as public servants — or as professionals in any field. By reasserting your commitment to cannabis decriminalization and criminal justice reform, you can uplift millions of Americans and help end the stigma of cannabis use that has derailed so many lives across the country — particularly in communities of color.