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ISCR 24-00018: Guideline H security clearance hearing, granted (2024) · CASE

ISCR Case 24-00018granted

Case headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00018

grantedJul 15, 2024· Hon. Edward W. Loughran· hearing

Summary

A 24-year-old defense contractor employee was granted a security clearance despite initial concerns under Guideline H (Drug Involvement). The Statement of Reasons alleged the applicant possessed and used marijuana and cocaine, raising questions about his reliability and trustworthiness. These allegations invoked disqualifying conditions AG ¶ 25(a) and AG ¶ 25(c).

However, the administrative judge found that the applicant successfully mitigated these concerns by demonstrating a commitment to abstain from drug use. This was supported by his credible testimony, a signed statement of intent to abstain from all drug involvement and substance misuse, and evidence of therapy.

The judge concluded that the applicant's past drug use was infrequent and occurred under circumstances unlikely to recur. Consequently, it was determined that his prior drug involvement does not currently affect his reliability or trustworthiness, leading to the granting of his security clearance.

Why the applicant prevailed

The applicant credibly testified about his commitment to abstain from drug use.
He provided a signed statement of intent to abstain from all drug involvement and substance misuse.
The applicant's past drug use was infrequent and occurred under circumstances unlikely to recur.

Conditions referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedAny Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)appliedBehavior Happened so Long Ago, Was so Infrequent, or Happened Under Such Circumstances That It Is Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 26(b)appliedAcknowledges Drug Involvement and Provides Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome This Problem

Key rule quoted

“The administrative judge’s overarching adjudicative goal is a fair, impartial, and commonsense decision.”

Procedural posture

SOR issuedMar 11, 2024
Answer filedMar 18, 2024
Hearing heldJun 18, 2024
Decision dateJul 15, 2024

Cite for

Mitigation of Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Commitment to Abstain From Drug Use as a Mitigating Factor
Whole-person Concept in Security Clearance Determinations

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

From the decision

Facts this decision states, each with the exact sentence it comes from. Descriptive of the record, not an assessment.

Age at decision: 24: “Applicant is a 24-year-old employee of a defense contractor.”
Tenure: ~1 year: “He has worked for his current employer since June 2023.”

Standardized Decision Profile

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

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant possessed and used marijuana and cocaine but concluded that this conduct no longer raises concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness. The applicant demonstrated a commitment to abstain from illegal drug involvement, which contributed to the decision to grant his security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case. 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. 24-00018 ) Applicant for Security Clearance ) Appearances For Government: Andrew Henderson, Esq., Department Counsel For Applicant: Pro se 07/15/2024

STATEMENT OF CASE

LOUGHRAN, Edward W., Administrative Judge: Applicant mitigated the security concerns under Guideline H (drug involvement and substance misuse). Eligibility for access to classified information is granted. Statement of the Case On March 11, 2024, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) to Applicant detailing security concerns under Guideline H. Applicant responded to the SOR on March 18, 2024, and requested a hearing before an administrative judge. The case was assigned to me on May 30, 2024. The hearing convened as scheduled on June 18, 2024. Government Exhibits (GE) 1 and 2 were admitted in evidence without objection. Applicant testified and submitted Applicant Exhibits (AE) A through F, which were admitted without objection.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Applicant is a 24-year-old employee of a defense contractor. He has worked for his current employer since June 2023. He is applying for a security clearance for the

first time. He attended college for a period without earning a degree. He has never married, and he has no children. (Tr. at 15-16; GE 1, 2) Applicant started using marijuana in about 2014, when he was a teenager. He occasionally bought marijuana, and he used it periodically until about January 2023. He thought it might help with his attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but he realized it made his ADHD, anxiety, and depression worse. He used cocaine while he was drunk at parties on about three occasions from January 2022 to June 2023. His cocaine use was while visiting the state where he grew up. (Tr. at 17-24; Applicant’s response to SOR; GE 1, 2; AE A) In about March 2023, Applicant moved to the state where he currently lives to work for his current employer, but the company lost a contract, and he was not hired at that time. He was finally hired in June 2023, and he submitted a Questionnaire for National Security Positions (SF-86) the same month. He reported his marijuana and cocaine use. He wrote that he never intended to use cocaine again. He wrote that he did not intend to use marijuana again even though it does not violate any laws in his current state of residence because it “does not provide [him] with anything beneficial in [his] life,” and that there were “better ways to deal with pain and emotions.” He fully discussed his illegal drug use during his background interview in August 2023. (Tr. at 12-13, 15-16, 21-22; GE 1, 3; AE A) Applicant credibly testified that he does not intend to use marijuana or cocaine again. He loves his job and does not want to jeopardize it. He lives in a state where recreational marijuana possession and use do not violate state law, which makes it difficult to completely disassociate himself from people who use marijuana. He has told his friends that he does not use marijuana, and he has left events where it was being used. He no longer associates with one friend who was present during much of his marijuana use and all his cocaine use. He undergoes therapy to manage his mental health. He provided 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 his national security eligibility. (Tr. at 13-14, 18-24, 26-27; Applicant’s response to SOR; GE 1, 3; AE A, F) Applicant submitted letters attesting to his excellent job performance and strong moral character. He is praised for his trustworthiness, reliability, work ethic, dedication, positive attitude, and honesty. (AE B-E)

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. On October 25, 2014, the Director of National Intelligence (the Security Executive Agent (SecEA)) issued DNI Memorandum ES 2014-00674, “Adherence to Federal Laws Prohibiting Marijuana Use,” which states: [C]hanges to state laws and the laws of the District of Columbia pertaining to marijuana use do not alter the existing National Security Adjudicative Guidelines . . . . An individual’s disregard of federal law pertaining to the use, sale, or manufacture of marijuana remains adjudicatively relevant in national security determinations. As always, adjudicative authorities are expected to evaluate claimed or developed use of, or involvement with, marijuana using the current adjudicative criteria. The adjudicative authority must determine if the use of, or involvement with, marijuana raises questions about the individual’s judgment, reliability, trustworthiness, and willingness to comply with law, rules, and regulations, including federal laws, when making eligibility decisions of persons proposed for, or occupying, sensitive national security positions. On December 21, 2021, the SecEA promulgated clarifying guidance concerning marijuana-related issues in security clearance adjudications (Security Executive Agent Clarifying Guidance Concerning Marijuana for Agencies Conducting Adjudications of Persons Proposed for Eligibility for Access to Classified Information or Eligibility to Hold a Sensitive Position). It states in pertinent part: [Federal] agencies are instructed that prior recreational marijuana use by an individual may be relevant to adjudications but not determinative. The SecEA has provided direction in [the adjudicative guidelines] to agencies that requires them to use a “whole-person concept.” This requires adjudicators to carefully weigh a number of variables in an individual’s life to determine whether that individual’s behavior raises a security concern, if at all, and whether that concern has been mitigated such that the individual may now receive a favorable adjudicative determination. Relevant mitigations include, but are not limited to, frequency of use and whether the individual can demonstrate that future use is unlikely to recur, including by signing an attestation or other such appropriate mitigation. Additionally, in light of the long-standing federal law and policy prohibiting illegal drug use while occupying a sensitive position or holding a security

clearance, agencies are encouraged to advise prospective national security workforce employees that they should refrain from any future marijuana use upon initiation of the national security vetting process, which commences once the individual signs the certification contained in the Standard Form 86 (SF-86), Questionnaire for National Security Positions. 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); and (c) illegal possession of a controlled substance, including cultivation, processing, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or possession of drug paraphernalia. Applicant possessed and used marijuana and cocaine. AG ¶¶ 25(a) and 25(c) 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; 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 and cocaine use while he was attempting to obtain a job with his current employer gives some pause, but once he was hired, he firmly and credibly committed to being drug-free. He loves his job and does not want to jeopardize it. He undergoes therapy to manage his mental health. He self-reported his illegal drug use, which bolsters his credibility. He signed a statement of intent to abstain from all

drug involvement and substance misuse, acknowledging that any future involvement or misuse is grounds for revocation of his national security eligibility. I conclude that Applicant’s conduct no longer casts doubt on his reliability, trustworthiness, and good judgment. I find that he has abstained from illegal drug involvement for an appropriate period, and that illegal drug involvement is unlikely to recur. AG ¶¶ 26(a) and 26(b) are applicable.

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 have incorporated my comments under Guideline H in my whole-person analysis. I also considered Applicant’s favorable character evidence. Overall, the record evidence leaves me without questions or doubts about Applicant’s eligibility and suitability for a security clearance. I conclude Applicant mitigated the security concerns under Guideline H.

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.b:

For Applicant

________________________

CONCLUSION

It is clearly consistent with the national interest to grant Applicant eligibility for a security clearance. Eligibility for access to classified information is granted. Edward W. Loughran Administrative Judge