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Comment by marvin | Hacker News Reader

You’d lose your security clearance over legally putting a marijuana cigarette in your mouth and demonstratively not inhaling, in the context of an interview made for entertainment purposes?

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Yes; that's what a Schedule I drug is. Possession is a federal offense, and the intent does not matter at all. Violation of federal laws can and will get your clearance revoked, even if it's legal in the state where the offense was committed.

I think you're confusing the point of security clearances. There's no blackmail risk in that drug use, and so it doesn't interfere with the clearance.

Not even the lowest level employee with a security clearance could be blackmailed for smoking weed, but you can bet your ass they would get their clearance revoked for it if they did it.

I think you oversimplify the point of the security clearances.

Part of becoming an adult is learning that all laws, including hardline federal laws, are entirely subject to the discretion of the human enforcers, who are subject to their own game theory of survival.

Absolutely no law is enforced 100% of the time on everyone equally. There's always a political/social calculation being made and balanced. It's childlike naivety to believe that perfect enforcement ever could (or should) be the case. Akin to believing Santa knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.

What you're saying is that it's childish to believe rich people should be subject to the same treatment as everyone else. If that's the case, then everyone that's not childish is kind of a shitty human being.

I know this. The rich people we as society worship get away. And the darker the skin or the thicker your accent or any other marginalized group you’re more likely to get in trouble.

Obviously nobody should be punished for that, the point is that most people would be, and he got special treatment. The solution is to change the law, rather than just not applying it to billionaires.

I don’t think I agree with this, as someone in the world of security clearances. It would probably just end up being something you need to explain and mitigate when it comes to your next reevaluation.

Yes. Possession of any amount is federal misdemeanor with fine up to $1000 for a first offense. Flagrantly violating the law tends to get your security clearance revoked, and rightfully so. You demonstrated you can’t be trusted to follow law.

https://www.criminallawyersandiego.com/california-marijuana-...

If you own a firearm and smoke weed it is a felony.

"Legally" is doing an awful lot of work in that sentence. It was not federally legal then and would not be today. (I think it should be and wish it was on behalf of others, but it isn't.)

The security clearance in question is federal.

There's no legal weed in the US. Not when dealing with federal authorities.

It is not legal. I disagree with the law but it is not legal at the federal level to have marijuana.

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