In a letter sent to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford requested the agency to reverse its decision to reduce the policy on past marijuana use for Border Patrol agent recruits. He believes that the change undermines the security and integrity of the Border Patrol workforce and goes against the agency’s mission to protect the nation against illegal drugs. The current policy prohibits applicants from using marijuana within 90 days prior to applying, a shift from the previous two-year lookback period. Lankford’s office was briefed on the policy change by CBP, which cited confusion between federal and state laws where marijuana has been legalized as justification for the amendment.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 24 states, as well as two territories and Washington, D.C., have enacted legislation to regulate marijuana for non-medical or adult use. Lankford emphasized that CBP is a federal agency and must ensure its personnel comply with federal laws regarding the use of controlled substances. As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Governmental Operations and Border Management, he has jurisdiction over federal hiring and border management. Lankford pointed out that recruits who disclose past marijuana use during polygraph tests often admit to other disqualifying criminal conduct, which can hinder the agency’s primary mission of stopping the flow of illicit drugs and illegal immigration across borders.
The Republican senator highlighted the concern that the policy change on past marijuana usage for recruits could increase the potential for individuals to have ties to transnational criminal organizations. This, in his view, directly contradicts the agency’s mission and raises security and integrity issues. He believes that Border Patrol’s ability to combat illicit drugs and illegal immigration is compromised by the policy change, and recruits may have paid criminal organizations in the past. Lankford is calling for CBP to rescind the policy and restore the two-year lookback on marijuana usage among Border Patrol recruits to ensure the agency’s personnel comply with federal laws.
The senator’s office indicated that the policy shift from a two-year to a 90-day lookback period occurred within the past few months, but CBP did not provide further comment to Fox News Digital. Lankford’s letter to the CBP commissioner highlighted the contradictions between the reduced threshold for recruits’ past marijuana use and the agency’s mission to protect the nation against illegal drugs. He argues that the amended policy raises concerns about security and integrity issues within the Border Patrol workforce and increases the likelihood of individuals having connections to criminal organizations. Lankford, as a member of the Subcommittee on Governmental Operations and Border Management, has urged CBP to reconsider the policy change and restore the previous two-year lookback period to maintain the agency’s commitment to upholding federal laws.
