U.S. Army recruits will no longer need to obtain a waiver to enlist if they have a single conviction for possessing marijuana or drug paraphernalia on their records, according to newly released guidelines that go into effect on April 20 (or 4/20, as it’s fondly known among cannabis enthusiasts).
The updated regulations, which will also raise the maximum age for recruits from 35 to 42, are generally meant to expand eligibility opportunities for service in the military. And removing the marijuana waiver requirement for single possession offenses could significantly widen the candidate pool as laws around cannabis continue to evolve at the state and federal level.
“As the states continue to legalize marijuana versus those that don’t, and the federal government not yet legalizing—at what point are we hindering ourselves by holding people to this type of conviction that in some states is okay and some states isn’t?” Col. Angela Chipman, who serves as chief of the Army’s military personnel accessions and retention division, told Task & Purpose.
Under current Army policy, a would-be recruit with a simple cannabis possession conviction must apply for a waiver to clear them for service. For a waiver to be granted, they’d need to
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
