Cannabis Charges May Not Keep Applicants from Police Work

Cannabis and the police force may seem like they are not related, but in this day and age, the police are starting to be more relaxed about allowing ex-cannabis users to join the force.

According to a recent U.S. Department of Justice Report, minorities are shown to be more negatively affected by prior minor drug convictions keeping them out of the force. Because this and lack of basic education are two of the major factors keeping people from police work, many departments are deciding to let in applicants without college degrees, in addition to applicants with past cannabis convictions.

According to the Associated Press, there is no national standard for becoming a police officer. Because of this, individual states can decide who becomes an officer, and can allow for prior minor convictions, or set more or less education as the standard for hiring.

“Hiring is particularly problematic in this environment we live in,” Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, told the Associated Press. “I’ve been in a room with a large group of police… I’ve asked how many of you would like your son or daughter to be a police officer, and no one raises their hand.”

This may be due in part to raising tensions against police officers in the wake of police shooting incidents over the past few years. This is giving all officers a bad rap, and making it this already-daunting line of duty look a lot less inviting.

While some may worry that the police force is letting in less qualifying individuals, it could be a breath of fresh air to have those who are more tolerant of cannabis use or who have had real-life experience with minor convictions and know what a pain they can be. In legal states, this makes even more sense, since the minor cannabis offence would not be a crime today.