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ISCR Case 21-02087 — CASE

ISCR Case 21-02087denied

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 21-02087

deniedJun 7, 2022· Hon. Richard A. Cefola· hearing

Summary

A 65-year-old applicant with a doctorate was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to admitted marijuana use. The applicant stated she used marijuana with varying frequency from approximately 2008 until at least October 2021, when she responded to the Statement of Reasons (SOR). This included use after completing an e-QIP in August 2014 and another in January 2021.

The administrative judge determined that the applicant's ongoing drug involvement, which is illegal under federal law, raised significant security concerns. Specifically, the judge cited the applicant's failure to clearly and convincingly commit to discontinuing her marijuana misuse.

The decision emphasized that the applicant's continued use of marijuana raised questions about her reliability and trustworthiness, which are essential for national security roles. Consequently, the applicant was found to have failed to mitigate the concerns, leading to the denial of her security clearance eligibility.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using marijuana from 2008 until at least October 2021, which is illegal under federal law.
The applicant did not clearly and convincingly commit to discontinue her drug misuse.
The applicant's continued use of marijuana raised questions about her reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)appliedAny Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)appliedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
AG ¶ 25(g)appliedExpressed Intent to Continue Drug Involvement

Key Rule Quoted

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedOct 21, 2021
Answer filedOct 28, 2021
Hearing held—Applicant requested a decision on the record without a hearing.
Decision dateJun 7, 2022

Cite For

Ongoing Drug Involvement as a Disqualifying Condition Under Guideline H
Failure to Mitigate Security Concerns Related to Substance Misuse
Importance of Compliance with Federal Law Regarding Controlled Substances

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 against the applicant on all allegations related to marijuana use, which occurred from 2008 to at least October 2021. The applicant admitted to this use and did not demonstrate a clear commitment to discontinue it, leading to a denial of her security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant admits that she used marijuana with varying frequency from about 2008 to, at least, October 2021, when she answered the SOR.	Against Applicant	Marijuana	Regular	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia (g) expressed intent to continue, or failure to commit to discontinue	—	—
1.b	Applicant admits that she used marijuana, from about December of 2016 to, at least, October 2021, after completing her August 7, 2014 e-QIP.	Against Applicant	Marijuana	Regular	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia (g) expressed intent to continue, or failure to commit to discontinue	—	—
1.c	Applicant further admits that she used marijuana to, at least, October 2021, about ten months after completing her January 28, 2021 e-QIP.	Against Applicant	Marijuana	Regular	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia (g) expressed intent to continue, or failure to commit to discontinue	—	—

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. 21-02087 ) ) Applicant for Security Clearance ) Appearances For Government: Jeff Kent, Esquire, Department Counsel For Applicant: Pro se June 7, 2022

STATEMENT OF CASE

CEFOLA, Richard A., Administrative Judge: On January 28, 2021, Applicant submitted her Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP). On October 21, 2021, the Department of Defense Consolidated Adjudications Facility (DODCAF) issued Applicant a Statement of Reasons (SOR) detailing security concerns under Guidelines H (Drug Involvement). The action was taken under Executive Order 10865, Safeguarding Classified Information within Industry (February 20, 1960), as amended; Department of Defense Directive 5220.6, Defense Industrial Personnel Security Clearance Review Program (January 2, 1992), as amended (Directive); and the Adjudicative Guidelines, effective on August 8, 2017. Applicant answered the SOR (Answer) on October 28, 2021 (Item 2), and requested a decision on the record without a hearing. Department Counsel submitted the Government’s written case on December 7, 2021. A complete copy of the file of relevant material (FORM) was sent to Applicant, including documents identified as Items 1 through 6. She was given an opportunity to file objections and submit material to refute, extenuate, or mitigate the Government’s evidence. Applicant responded to the

FORM on January 5, 2022, resubmitting her Answer to the SOR, with highlights. Items 1 through 6, and the highlighted Answer are admitted into evidence. The case was assigned to me on March 1, 2022.

FINDINGS OF FACT

In her Answer to the SOR Applicant admitted the factual allegations in Paragraph 1 of the SOR, with explanations. Applicant is 65 years old, separated from her husband, and has two adult children. (Item 3 at pages 7, 30, and 33.) She has a doctorate degree. (Item 3 at pages 15–16.) Guideline H: Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse 1.a. Applicant admits that she used marijuana with varying frequency from about 2008 to, at least, October 2021, when she answered the SOR. 1.b. Applicant admits that she used marijuana, from about December of 2016 to, at least, October 2021, after completing her August 7, 2014 e-QIP. 1.c. Applicant further admits that she used marijuana to, at least, October 2021, about ten months after completing her January 28, 2021 e-QIP. Applicant argues that she uses marijuana as a medicine in a state where it’s use has been legalized, but also understands it’s use is against Federal law.

POLICIES

When evaluating an applicant’s suitability for national security eligibility, the administrative judge must consider the adjudicative guidelines. In addition to brief introductory explanations for each guideline, the adjudicative guidelines (AG) list potentially disqualifying conditions and mitigating conditions, which are to be used in evaluating an applicant’s national security eligibility. 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 AG ¶ 2 describing the adjudicative process. The administrative judge’s overarching adjudicative goal is a fair, impartial, and commonsense decision. The entire process is a conscientious scrutiny of applicable guidelines in the context 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

Directive ¶ E3.1.14, requires the Government to present evidence to establish controverted facts alleged in the SOR. Under Directive ¶ E3.1.15, an “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, and has the ultimate burden of persuasion as to obtaining a favorable clearance decision.”

A person applying for national security eligibility seeks to enter 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 national security eligibility. Decisions include, by necessity, consideration of the possible risk the applicant may deliberately or inadvertently fail to protect or safeguard classified information. Such decisions entail a certain degree of legally permissible extrapolation as to potential, rather than actual, risk of compromise of classified or sensitive information. Finally, as emphasized in Section 7 of Executive Order 10865, “[a]ny determination under this order adverse to an applicant shall be a determination in terms of the national interest and shall in no sense be a determination as to the loyalty of the applicant concerned.” See also Executive Order 12968, Section 3.1(b) (listing multiple prerequisites for access to classified or sensitive information.)

evidence contained in the record. I have not drawn inferences based on mere speculation or conjecture.

ANALYSIS

Guideline H: Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse The security concern relating to the guideline for Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse is set forth at 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 at AG ¶ 25 contains seven conditions that could raise a security concern and may be disqualifying. Three conditions are established: (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.

Appellant used marijuana from about 2008 until at least October of 2021. She did not clearly and convincingly commit to discontinue her misuse. Therefore, AG ¶ 25 (a), (c) and (g) are established. The guideline at AG ¶ 26 contains four conditions that could mitigate security concerns. Two conditions may be 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; 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. None of these apply, as Applicant continued to use marijuana, disregarding Federal law that prohibits its usage.

WHOLE PERSON CONCEPT

Under the whole-person concept, the administrative judge must evaluate an applicant’s national security eligibility 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. According to AG ¶ 2(c), the ultimate determination of whether to grant national security eligibility must be an overall commonsense judgment based upon careful consideration of the applicable 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. Overall, the record evidence leaves me with questions and doubts as to Applicant’s eligibility and suitability for a security clearance. For all these reasons, I conclude Applicant failed to mitigate the security concerns arising from her drug involvement and substance abuse.

FORMAL FINDINGS

Formal findings for or against Applicant on the allegations set forth in the SOR, as required by ¶ E3.1.25 of Enclosure 3 of the Directive, are: Paragraph 1, Guideline G: AGAINST APPLICANT Subparagraphs 1.a~1.c: Against Applicant

CONCLUSION

In light of all of the circumstances presented by the record in this case, it is not clearly consistent with the national interest to grant Applicant national security eligibility for a security clearance. Eligibility for access to classified information is denied. Richard A. Cefola Administrative Judge