In the Media
Into the Weeds of What DEA Rule Changes on Marijuana Mean for Feds
Read Time: 1 minMember Chase Stoecker (Fort Lauderdale) was interviewed by the Federal Times in an article on marijuana rescheduling published on May 21, 2024.
“Employers are very confused right now,” Chase Stoecker, a Florida-based labor attorney for McGlinchey Stafford, said in an interview. “They’re putting together their handbooks and their policies when it comes to cannabis use. There’s a lot of questions. What can they allow? What can’t they allow?”
For some time, though, Stoecker said employers have been evaluating drug use — particularly for marijuana — on a case-by-case basis. Even OPM has said in its guidance that “agencies cannot find an individual unsuitable [for employment] unless there is a nexus between the conduct and the ‘integrity or … efficiency of the service.’ ”
Though the future is hazy, Stoecker said a situation could arise in which exceptions are carved out for employees who deal with national security or sensitive work. For example, state laws permitting some off-duty marijuana use still prohibit use for “safety sensitive” employees, like law enforcement officers or child care workers.