Feds who use pot could see jobs go up in smoke, says OPM

Feds indulging in marijuana – even in places where it's legal, such as Washington, D.C. – could lose their jobs if they're caught, said the Office of Personnel Management in a May 26 memo.

In the memo, OPM Director Katherine Archuleta said changes to state and D.C. laws have led some to question whether federal employees in those jurisdictions may use marijuana. But the government's top human resource official was quick to respond.

"Federal law on marijuana remains unchanged," Archuleta wrote in the memo. "Intentional marijuana possession is illegal, even if an individual has no intent to manufacture, distribute or dispense marijuana."

A 1986 executive order that's still in effect goes so far as to say that people who "use illegal drugs are not suitable for federal employment."

"The use of illegal drugs by Federal employees, whether on or off duty, is contrary to the efficiency of the service," the order, signed by President Reagan says.

There is some leniency, though. The order emphasizes that feds who are caught using drugs should not be fired if the employee voluntarily seeks counseling or rehabilitation and thereafter refrains from using illegal drugs.

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