House Democrats call on Biden to ease policies on White House staffers' marijuana use
CBSN
Washington — A group of House Democrats are urging President Biden to relax the White House's employment policies regarding marijuana use in the wake of a report that several White House staffers were disciplined after disclosing past cannabis use.
In a letter to Mr. Biden dated Thursday, 30 Democratic lawmakers asked the president to clarify his employment suitability policies, remove past marijuana use as a possible disqualifier and apply the personnel policies "with consistency and fairness." "While we work to deschedule cannabis legislatively, your administration should act within its power to stop legitimizing unfair cannabis laws," the lawmakers told Mr. Biden in their letter. "You have previously expressed your commitment to decriminalizing cannabis in acknowledgement that a cannabis conviction or even the stigma of cannabis use can ruin lives and prevent people from voting, gaining employment, and contributing to society. You can meet this moment and help end our failed punitive policy of cannabis prohibition."Actor Richard Dreyfuss is facing backlash for allegedly sharing remarks that audience members found sexist, homophobic and generally offensive at a Q&A event over the weekend tied to a Massachusetts theater's screening of "Jaws." Dreyfuss starred in the 1975 blockbuster that was filmed in Massachusetts and screened Saturday night at The Cabot, a performing arts center in the coastal community of Beverly.
Another American who was arrested in the Turks and Caicos Islands for possessing ammunition was sentenced to time served and a $9,000 fine on Tuesday, local media reported. Tyler Wenrich was facing a potential mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years in prison for ammunition charges in the British territory.