Bipartisan Federal Marijuana Employment and Security Clearance Bill Gains Second Cosponsor
- The Cannabis Users’ Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act, a bipartisan bill preventing past marijuana use from disqualifying federal employment or security clearances, gained a new cosponsor, Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).
- Introduced by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) with Republican Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) as the original cosponsor, the bill bars consideration of past marijuana use in federal clearance and employment decisions and mandates agencies create review processes for denials dating back to 2008.
- The legislation requires agencies to reconsider past employment or clearance denials related solely to marijuana use within 90 days and amends the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004; it has been referred to the House Oversight Committee.
- The bill revives a previous effort from 2023 that passed committee but not the full House, amid ongoing federal-state conflicts over marijuana policy; no Senate companion bill has been introduced this Congress yet.
A bipartisan congressional proposal that would prevent past marijuana use from disqualifying people from federal employment or security clearances has gained a second cosponsor.
Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) joined H.R. 10504, the Cannabis Users’ Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act, on September 24, according to congressional records.
The legislation was introduced September 17 by Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), with Representative Zach Nunn (R-IA) joining as the original Republican cosponsor. Lofgren’s addition brings the proposal to three congressional supporters and maintains its bipartisan backing.
Under the bill, past marijuana use could not be considered when determining whether someone is eligible for a federal security clearance or suitable for federal employment.
The measure would also require every federal agency, within one year of enactment, to establish a publicly available process for reviewing security clearance and employment denials issued on or after January 1, 2008.
People who were previously denied a clearance or federal employment could request reconsideration. Agencies would then have 90 days to review the decision and determine whether it was based solely on past marijuana use.
The proposal would amend the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The legislation revives an effort Raskin led during the previous Congress. An earlier version of the CURE Act advanced through the House Oversight Committee with bipartisan support in 2023 but did not become law.
Lofgren’s addition comes as federal marijuana policies continue to create employment complications despite legalization for medical or recreational use across much of the country. Marijuana remains federally prohibited under the Controlled Substances Act.
A Senate companion has not yet been introduced in the current Congress. During the previous Congress, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) sponsored similar legislation known as the DOOBIE Act, which advanced through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee but did not receive a final Senate vote before the congressional session ended.