By Steve Neavling
A DEA agent who filed a lawsuit last year in hopes of reversing his termination after he tested positive for marijuana is returning to work with back pay.
In a legal settlement, the Justice Department has agreed to rehire Anthony Armour and provide some of his back pay, in addition to covering his legal expenses and restoring his pension benefits, The New York Times first reported Saturday.
Armour is expected to return to the DEA’s Houston office today.
“I’m excited to be getting back to work at D.E.A.,” Armour, 49, said. “I hope to finish my career at D.E.A. by helping its mission in taking dangerous drugs like fentanyl off the streets.”
In his lawsuit, Armour said he had no idea there were trace amounts of THC in a CBP oil he took as an alternative to opioids for pain relief.
At the time, the DEA countered that Armour was aware of the potential that an unregulated CBD product could contain THC.
In response to the lawsuit, the DEA acknowledged that Armour “had 16 years of service, had received outstanding performance ratings for three years, and had submitted letters of support from supervisors and colleagues,”
But those factors don’t “rise to a level that justifies mitigating the overall penalty,” the DEA responded at the time.
The legal settlement comes as the Biden administration reconsiders the legal and regulatory status of cannabis.
