Senate Panel Advances ‘DOOBIE’ Act to Relax Cannabis Rules for Federal Hires

The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee this week passed the Dismantling Outdated Obstacles and Barriers to Individual Employment (DOOBIE) Act, which seeks to ease federal hiring rules related to cannabis.

The proposal, which aims to guarantee that applicants for federal positions or security clearances are not denied due to past cannabis use, advanced from the committee in a 9-5 vote on Wednesday and moves next to the Senate for consideration.

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters (D) introduced the bill. If passed, the DOOBIE Act would align federal law with the growing number of states to enact medical and adult-use cannabis reforms — adult-use cannabis is legal in 24 states and Washington D.C., and an additional 14 states have enacted at least limited medical cannabis reforms.

Additionally, the bill would cement the current guidelines from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) regarding past cannabis use as an official policy.

“The federal government must adapt its hiring practices to reflect the evolving legal and social landscape of our nation. My bill takes a crucial step by aligning federal policy with existing agency guidance, ensuring that past marijuana use alone doesn’t automatically disqualify talented individuals from public service. This approach will expand our talent pool and create a fairer, more inclusive hiring process.” — Sen. Peters, in a press release

The committee’s vote is only the latest sign of a coming shift in federal cannabis policies after President Joe Biden (D) announced in May that his administration would seek to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act; the DEA will hold a hearing on December 2 to review expert opinions on the rescheduling proposal.