'No weed allowed': FBI boss backtracks on marijuana comments

James Comey said FBI was struggling to hire top talent as a result of its strict no-marijuana rules

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey testifies during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Dirksne Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill May 21, 2014 in Washington, DC (GETTY IMAGES)

If you like your weed and were thinking of applying for a job at the FBI, hold your horses: the bureau has no intention to loosen its no-drugs policy.

FBI Director James Comey has retracted his comments that the agency was reconsidering its zero tolerance stand on drugs in an effort to hire the brightest- albeit highest- young hackers at its cyber crime division.

Confronted by US Senator Jeff Sessions, who was not amused by his remarks, Mr Comey said he was joking and insisted that potheads are not welcome at the FBI, which has a three-year ban on marijuana for new recruits.

"I am determined not to lose my sense of humor, but unfortunately there I was trying to be both serious and funny," Mr Comey said at an oversight hearing on Wednesday. "I am absolutely dead-set against using marijuana. I don't want young people to use marijuana. It's against the law."

"I have to hire a great work force to compete with those cyber criminals and some of those kids want to smoke weed on the way to the interview," he added.