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ISCR Case 20-01770 — CASE

ISCR Case 20-01770denied

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 20-01770

deniedDec 14, 2021· Hon. Edward W. Loughran· hearing

Summary

A 31-year-old defense contractor was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to her use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The Statement of Reasons alleged that her possession and use of marijuana, while claimed to be legal under state law, remains illegal under federal law. Furthermore, the applicant expressed an intent to continue this use, and her illegal drug use was not deemed mitigated by any circumstances.

The denial was based on several factors. The judge emphasized that the applicant's medicinal marijuana use is illegal under federal law, despite state-level legality. Her stated intent to continue using marijuana raised ongoing security concerns.

Additionally, the applicant did not respond to a formal request for information, leading to the assumption that her circumstances regarding drug involvement had not changed. Consequently, the adjudicator found that the applicant failed to mitigate the security concerns, resulting in the denial of her security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant's use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is illegal under federal law.
The applicant expressed intent to continue using marijuana, raising security concerns.
The applicant did not respond to the FORM, leading to assumptions that no changes occurred in her circumstances.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedAny Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
AG ¶ 25(g)raisedExpressed Intent to Continue Drug Involvement

Key Rule Quoted

“Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.”
— AG ¶ 2(b)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJan 28, 2021
Answer filedFeb 9, 2021Requested decision based on written record.
Hearing held—Decision based on written record.
Decision dateDec 14, 2021

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Importance of Federal Law Compliance in Security Clearance Decisions
Expressed Intent to Continue Illegal Drug Use as a Disqualifying Factor

Editorial summary generated for research. Not legal advice; not a prediction. Verify against the full decision before relying on any quoted language.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline H (Drug Involvement) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant's possession and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, which is illegal under federal law, raised significant security concerns. The applicant expressed an intent to continue this drug involvement, and the judge concluded that there were no mitigating circumstances to justify granting a security clearance. The application for a security clearance was denied.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant possessed and used marijuana for medicinal purposes, which is illegal under federal law.	Against Applicant	Marijuana	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant expressed intent to continue drug involvement and substance misuse.	Against Applicant	Stated Intent to Use Again	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant's illegal drug use is not mitigated by any circumstances.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Drug Involvement	Unspecified	Denied	—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline H). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.

Decision text, by section

DEFENSE OFFICE OF HEARINGS AND APPEALS

HEARING

APPEARANCES

______________ ______________ DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEFENSE OFFICE OF HEARINGS AND APPEALS In the matter of: ) ) ) ISCR Case No. 20-01770 ) Applicant for Security Clearance ) Appearances For Government: Kelly M. Folks, Esq., Department Counsel For Applicant: Pro se 12/14/2021

STATEMENT OF CASE

LOUGHRAN, Edward W., Administrative Judge: Applicant did not mitigate the drug involvement and substance misuse security concerns. Eligibility for access to classified information is denied. Statement of the Case On January 28, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) to Applicant detailing security concerns under Guideline H, drug involvement and substance misuse. Applicant responded on February 9, 2021, and requested a decision based on the written record in lieu of a hearing. The Government’s written case was submitted on September 28, 2021. A complete copy of the file of relevant material (FORM) was provided to Applicant, who was afforded an opportunity to file objections and submit material to refute, extenuate, or mitigate the security concerns. Applicant received the FORM on October 12, 2021. As of November 29, 2021, she had not responded. The case was assigned to me on December 2, 2021. The Government exhibits included in the FORM are admitted in evidence.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Applicant is a 31-year-old employee of a defense contractor. She has worked for her current employer since 2013. She is applying for a security clearance for the first time. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 2011 and a master’s degree in 2013. She has never married, and she has no children. (Items 3, 5) Applicant lives in a state where marijuana use is legal under state law. Marijuana, including medical marijuana, remains a Schedule I controlled substance and illegal under federal law. Since 2018, she has used marijuana for medicinal purposes to alleviate her pain and assist with her insomnia. She obtained the marijuana through state-sanctioned dispensaries. (Items 2, 3, 5) Applicant reported her marijuana use for medicinal purposes on the Questionnaire for National Security Positions (SF 86) she submitted in November 2019. She fully discussed her marijuana use when she was interviewed for her background investigation in January 2020. When she responded to DOHA interrogatories, she indicated that she planned to continue using marijuana with a valid prescription. (Items 3, 5) In her February 2021 response to the SOR, Applicant wrote that she intended to continue using marijuana for medical purposes as long as she needed it for medicinal purposes, and it remained legal under state law. Department Counsel provided information in the FORM that marijuana, even if legal under state law, remains a controlled substance and illegal under federal law.

POLICIES

This case is adjudicated under Executive Order (EO) 10865, Safeguarding Classified Information within Industry (February 20, 1960), as amended; DOD Directive 5220.6, Defense Industrial Personnel Security Clearance Review Program (January 2, 1992), as amended (Directive); and the adjudicative guidelines (AG), which became effective on June 8, 2017. When evaluating an applicant’s suitability for a security clearance, the administrative judge must consider the adjudicative guidelines. In addition to brief introductory explanations for each guideline, the adjudicative guidelines list potentially disqualifying conditions and mitigating conditions, which are to be used in evaluating an applicant’s eligibility for access to classified information. These guidelines are not inflexible rules of law. Instead, recognizing the complexities of human behavior, administrative judges apply the guidelines in conjunction with the factors listed in the adjudicative process. The administrative judge’s overarching adjudicative goal is a fair, impartial, and commonsense decision. According to AG ¶ 2(c), the entire process is a conscientious scrutiny of a number of variables known as the “whole-person concept.” The administrative judge must consider all

available, reliable information about the person, past and present, favorable and unfavorable, in making a decision.

The protection of the national security is the paramount consideration. AG ¶ 2(b) requires that “[a]ny doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.” Under Directive ¶ E3.1.14, the Government must present evidence to establish controverted facts alleged in the SOR. Under Directive ¶ E3.1.15, the applicant is responsible for presenting “witnesses and other evidence to rebut, explain, extenuate, or mitigate facts admitted by the applicant or proven by Department Counsel.” The applicant has the ultimate burden of persuasion to obtain a favorable security decision. A person who seeks access to classified information enters into a fiduciary relationship with the Government predicated upon trust and confidence. This relationship transcends normal duty hours and endures throughout off-duty hours. The Government reposes a high degree of trust and confidence in individuals to whom it grants access to classified information. Decisions include, by necessity, consideration of the possible risk the applicant may deliberately or inadvertently fail to safeguard classified information. Such decisions entail a certain degree of legally permissible extrapolation of potential, rather than actual, risk of compromise of classified information. Section 7 of EO 10865 provides that adverse decisions shall be “in terms of the national interest and shall in no sense be a determination as to the loyalty of the applicant concerned.” See also EO 12968, Section 3.1(b) (listing multiple prerequisites for access to classified or sensitive information).

ANALYSIS

Guideline H, Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse The security concern for drug involvement and substance misuse is set out in AG ¶ 24: The illegal use of controlled substances, to include the misuse of prescription and non-prescription drugs, and the use of other substances that cause physical or mental impairment or are used in a manner inconsistent with their intended purpose can raise questions about an individual’s reliability and trustworthiness, both because such behavior may lead to physical or psychological impairment and because it raises questions about a person’s ability or willingness to comply with laws, rules, and regulations. Controlled substance means any “controlled substance” as defined in 21 U.S.C. 802. Substance misuse is the generic term adopted in this guideline to describe any of the behaviors listed above.

The guideline notes several conditions that could raise security concerns under AG ¶ 25. The following are potentially applicable in this case:

(a) any substance misuse (see above definition); (c) illegal possession of a controlled substance, including cultivation, processing, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or possession of drug paraphernalia; and (g) expressed intent to continue drug involvement and substance misuse, or failure to clearly and convincingly commit to discontinue such misuse. Applicant possessed and used marijuana for medicinal purposes. Marijuana, including medical marijuana, remains a controlled substance and illegal under federal law. She stated that she intended to continue using marijuana for medicinal purposes. The above disqualifying conditions are applicable. AG ¶ 26 provides conditions that could mitigate security concerns. The following are potentially applicable: (a) the behavior happened so long ago, was so infrequent, or happened under such circumstances that it is unlikely to recur or does not cast doubt on the individual's current reliability, trustworthiness, or good judgment;

(b) the individual acknowledges his or her drug involvement and substance misuse, provides evidence of actions taken to overcome this problem, and has established a pattern of abstinence, including, but not limited to: (1) disassociation from drug-using associates and contacts; (2) changing or avoiding the environment where drugs were used; (3) providing a signed statement of intent to abstain from all drug involvement and substance misuse, acknowledging that any future involvement or misuse is grounds for revocation of national security eligibility; and (d) satisfactory completion of a prescribed drug treatment program, including, but not limited to, rehabilitation and aftercare requirements, without recurrence of abuse, and a favorable prognosis by a duly qualified medical professional. Applicant did not violate any state law when she used marijuana for medicinal purposes. It is possible that she did not fully understand that it is still a federal crime, and inconsistent with holding a security clearance. However, any doubt should have been eliminated when she received the FORM. She did not respond to the FORM, so I

have to assume that nothing has changed. None of the mitigating conditions are applicable, and Applicant’s illegal drug use is not mitigated. Additionally, as an unlawful user of a controlled substance, she is precluded from holding a security clearance by the Bond Amendment.1

WHOLE PERSON CONCEPT

Under the whole-person concept, the administrative judge must evaluate an applicant’s eligibility for a security clearance by considering the totality of the applicant’s conduct and all relevant circumstances. The administrative judge should consider the nine adjudicative process factors listed at AG ¶ 2(d): (1) the nature, extent, and seriousness of the conduct; (2) the circumstances surrounding the conduct, to include knowledgeable participation; (3) the frequency and recency of the conduct; (4) the individual’s age and maturity at the time of the conduct; (5) the extent to which participation is voluntary; (6) the presence or absence of rehabilitation and other permanent behavioral changes; (7) the motivation for the conduct; (8) the potential for pressure, coercion, exploitation, or duress; and (9) the likelihood of continuation or recurrence. Under AG ¶ 2(c), the ultimate determination of whether to grant eligibility for a security clearance must be an overall commonsense judgment based upon careful consideration of the guidelines and the whole-person concept. I considered the potentially disqualifying and mitigating conditions in light of all the facts and circumstances surrounding this case. I have incorporated my comments under Guideline H in my whole-person analysis. Overall, the record evidence leaves me with questions and doubts about Applicant’s eligibility and suitability for a security clearance. I conclude Applicant did not mitigate the drug involvement and substance misuse security concerns.

FORMAL FINDINGS

Formal findings for or against Applicant on the allegations set forth in the SOR, as required by section E3.1.25 of Enclosure 3 of the Directive, are: Paragraph 1, Guideline H: Against Applicant Subparagraphs 1.a-1.c: Against Applicant 1 IRTPA of 2004 § 3002, 50 USC § 3343.

________________________

CONCLUSION

It is not clearly consistent with the national interest to grant Applicant eligibility for a security clearance. Eligibility for access to classified information is denied. Edward W. Loughran Administrative Judge