The FBI is increasing it’s resource to crackdown on hackers and various cyber-crimes, they are therefore hiring more cyber-security agents, there’s only one problem. “Weed”.
The FBI has a no-tolerance policy for employees using illegal drugs, but new statements by director James Comey suggest the agency is considering loosening that policy to attract employees from the cybersecurity community.
To hear Comey tell it, it’s a talent pool that’s notorious for rampant weed-smoking. “I have to hire a great work force to compete with those cybercriminals,” Comey told an audience at the New York City Bar Association, “and some of those kids want to smoke weed on the way to the interview.”
The bureau’s weed problem is particularly severe given the rise of legal marijuana use within the US, implicating many potential FBI hackers along the way. As a result, Comey said he was “grappling with the issue” of how the bureau’s policies might be amended.
This statement also comes just one day after the FBI announced charges against a group of hackers working for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, for allegedly stealing trade secrets from corporations like Alcoa and Westinghouse. It is however unclear whether marijuana was involved.
