Pentagon hazy on legality of pot company investments for servicemembers

The Air Force Ethics Office has instructed legal offices to “stand by” for guidance on the legality of marijuana investments from the Pentagon’s Standards of Conduct Office, according to an email posted on a popular social media site Tuesday.

“Please continue to stand by — I know there are lots of emails floating around on this issue,” wrote Shannon A. McGuire, the Air Force’s associate general counsel for fiscal, ethics and administrative law, in the email shared on the “Air Force amn/nco/snco” page. The email’s authenticity was not immediately confirmed, though it did include accurate agency contact information.

The email comes amid confusion over how ownership of pot-related businesses might affect determinations of suitability for federal employment and security clearance adjudication for the Pentagon’s civilian and military workforce, given pot’s unique legal status — still classified as illegal under federal law but allowed for recreational or medical use in many states.

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