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ISCR Case 21-00221 — CASE

ISCR Case 21-00221granted

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 21-00221

grantedJan 10, 2022· Hon. Robert E. Coacher· hearing

Summary

A 29-year-old applicant with a bachelor's degree was granted a security clearance despite concerns under Guideline H (Drug Involvement). The Statement of Reasons detailed his use and purchase of marijuana from August 2011 to October 2019, along with two arrests. The first arrest, in January 2012, was for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The second, in August 2013, was for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. These issues raised disqualifying conditions AG ¶ 25(a) and AG ¶ 25(c).

However, the applicant successfully demonstrated mitigating conditions AG ¶ 26(a) and AG ¶ 26(b). He established a clear pattern of abstinence from drug use since 2017 and credibly expressed his intent to avoid future drug use, including distancing himself from associates who use drugs.

Additionally, his positive work reputation was a contributing factor in the decision. Ultimately, the security clearance was granted.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant established a pattern of abstinence from drug use since 2017.
He credibly expressed intent to avoid future drug use and distanced himself from drug-using associates.
The applicant's positive work reputation contributed to the decision.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedSubstance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Drug Possession

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)appliedBehavior Occurred Long Ago
AG ¶ 26(b)appliedAcknowledgment and Actions Taken to Overcome Drug Involvement

Key Rule Quoted

“The illegal use of controlled substances... can raise questions about an individual’s reliability and trustworthiness.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMar 12, 2021
Answer filedApr 4, 2021
Hearing heldNov 17, 2021
Decision dateJan 10, 2022

Cite For

Mitigation of Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Commitment to Abstinence as a Mitigating Factor
Importance of Positive Work Reputation in Security Clearance Decisions

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: HearingDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant used and purchased marijuana from August 2011 to October 2019, and was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in January 2012, as well as for driving under the influence of marijuana in August 2013. However, the applicant demonstrated significant mitigation through abstinence, acknowledgment of past mistakes, and distancing from drug-associated friends, leading to a decision to grant the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	used and purchased marijuana, with varying frequency, from August 2011 to October 2019	For Applicant	Marijuana	Occasional	Admitted	—	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur (b) acknowledges involvement; evidence of action; established abstinence	Documented Abstinence Period Documented Documented Acknowledgment and Remorse Documented Severed Ties to Using Friends
1.b	was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in January 2012	For Applicant	Drug Distribution or Dealing	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	was arrested for driving under the influence of and possession of marijuana in August 2013	For Applicant	Drug Distribution or Dealing	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—

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. 21-00221 ) Applicant for Security Clearance ) Appearances For Government: Jeff Nagel, Esq., Department Counsel For Applicant: Pro se 01/10/2022

STATEMENT OF CASE

COACHER, Robert E., Administrative Judge: Applicant mitigated the Government’s security concerns under Guideline H, drug involvement and substance misuse. Applicant’s eligibility for a security clearance is granted. Statement of the Case On March 12, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued Applicant a Statement of Reasons (SOR) detailing security concerns under Guideline H, drug involvement and substance misuse. DOD acted 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), implemented by the DOD on June 8, 2017.

Applicant answered the SOR on April 4, 2021, and requested a hearing before an administrative judge. The case was assigned to me on October 20, 2021. The Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) issued a notice of hearing on October 27, 2021, and the hearing was convened as scheduled on November 17, 2021. The Government offered exhibits (GE) 1-3, which were admitted into evidence without objection. The Government’s exhibit list was marked as hearing exhibit (HE) I. Applicant testified and offered exhibits (AE) A-B, which were admitted into evidence without objection. DOHA received the hearing transcript (Tr.) on November 29, 2021.

FINDINGS OF FACT

In Applicant’s answer to the SOR, he admitted all the allegations. I have incorporated those admissions into my findings of fact. After a thorough and careful review of the pleadings, testimony, and exhibits submitted, I make the following additional findings of fact.

Applicant is 29 years old. He has never married, but is currently engaged. He has a bachelor’s degree. He has worked for a defense contractor since February 2021. From January 2020 to February 2021, he also worked for a defense contractor. He has never held a security clearance. He completed his security clearance application (SCA) in January 2020. (Tr. 6, 17; GE 1)

The SOR alleged Applicant: used and purchased marijuana, with varying frequency, from August 2011 to October 2019; was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in January 2012; and was arrested for driving under the influence of and possession of marijuana in August 2013. (See SOR ¶¶ 1.a - 1.c.)

Applicant began using marijuana shortly after graduating from high school. He continued to use it sporadically throughout college. He acknowledged that he made “bad decisions” in that regard. He was arrested in January 2012 for using marijuana in his dorm room when a resident advisor reported it. In August 2013, he was driving after having used marijuana and was stopped by law enforcement for speeding. He was suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana and arrested. His use of marijuana was confirmed by a blood test. He pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge and satisfied all the terms of his sentence without incident. (Tr. 19-22, 27)

Applicant credibly testified that his last use of marijuana was in 2017. He stated that the reference in his March 2020 statement to a background investigator that his last use was in 2019 was a mistake. He has dissociated from his college friends with whom he used marijuana. He has no intentions of using marijuana in the future. He reported his marijuana use on his SCA and during his background investigation. (Tr. 22, 24-25; GE 1, 2)

Applicant presented a letter from his work supervisor. His supervisor recognized Applicant as a trustworthy employee and highly dependable. (AE B)

POLICIES

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 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, these guidelines are applied 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(a), 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.” In reaching this decision, I have drawn only those conclusions that are reasonable, logical, and based on the evidence contained in the record.

Under Directive section E3.1.14, the Government must present evidence to establish controverted facts alleged in the SOR. Under Directive section E3.1.15, an “applicant is responsible for presenting witnesses and other evidence to rebut, explain, extenuate, or mitigate facts admitted by applicant or proven by Department Counsel, and 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 that an applicant may deliberately or inadvertently fail to safeguard classified information. Such decisions entail a certain degree of legally permissible extrapolation about potential, rather than actual, risk of compromise of classified information.

Section 7 of EO 10865 provides that 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

AG ¶ 24 expresses the security concern pertaining to drug involvement and substance misuse:

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.

AG ¶ 25 describes conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying. Two conditions are potentially applicable in this case, to wit:

(a) any substance misuse; and

(c) illegal drug possession, including cultivation, processing, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or possession of drug paraphernalia.

Applicant used and purchased marijuana at various times between 2011 and 2017. He was also charged with using marijuana in his dorm room and while driving. I find AG ¶¶ 25(a) and (c) apply.

AG ¶ 26 provides conditions that could mitigate security concerns. Two potentially apply in this case:

(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; and

(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; and

(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.

Applicant’s marijuana use while in college was sporadic, but it ceased in 2017. He has credibly expressed his intent not to use it in the future. He no longer associates with the friends with whom he was using marijuana. He acknowledged that his youthful use of marijuana was foolish and irresponsible. He has established an excellent reputation at work where he is a valued and trusted employee. AG ¶ 26(a) applies. His nearly four years of abstinence, commitment to abstinence, and his distancing from his drug-associated friends are sufficient to demonstrate Applicant’s intent not to use in the future. AG ¶ 26(b) applies.

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 the circumstances. The administrative judge should consider the nine adjudicative process factors listed at AG ¶ 2(d):

(1) the nature, extent, and circumstances 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 guideline and the whole-person concept.

I considered the potentially disqualifying and mitigating conditions in light of all facts and circumstances surrounding this case. I considered Applicant’s supervisor’s statement. I also considered Applicant’s statement of intent not to use drugs in the future. Applicant provided sufficient evidence to mitigate the security concerns.

Overall, the record evidence leaves me without questions or doubts about Applicant’s eligibility and suitability for a security clearance. For all these reasons, I conclude Applicant mitigated the security concerns arising under Guideline H, drug involvement and substance misuse.

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:

FOR APPLICANT

Subparagraphs 1.a-1.c:

For Applicant

CONCLUSION

In light of all of the circumstances presented by the record in this case, it is clearly consistent with the national interest to grant Applicant eligibility for a security clearance. Eligibility for access to classified information is granted.

_____________________________ Robert E. Coacher Administrative Judge