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ISCR Case 24-00014 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00014

A decided public DOHA case, shown for research — not advice or a prediction.

Case Profile
Decision Date11/17/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Judge: Marc E. Curry
Government Counsel: Brian L. Farrell
Applicant's Counsel: Bradley P. Moss
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 27-year-old systems engineer with a strong academic background, having graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and a high GPA. The Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) considered allegations under Guideline E (personal conduct) and Guideline H (drug involvement) due to the applicant's failure to disclose marijuana use on a 2018 Public Trust Position application and her subsequent use of illegal drugs after being granted access to classified information.
The applicant admitted to using marijuana sporadically during college and acknowledged failing to disclose this use on her 2018 application, attributing the omission to a misunderstanding of the question. She later disclosed her marijuana use on a security clearance application in 2020 and admitted to using marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms after receiving her clearance. Despite her proactive steps toward rehabilitation, including counseling and abstaining from drug use since 2022, the administrative judge found that her post-clearance drug use raised significant security concerns regarding her judgment and reliability.
The administrative judge ruled to deny the applicant's security clearance, concluding that while she mitigated the concerns related to her earlier marijuana use, her illegal drug use after being granted access to classified information was not sufficiently mitigated. The judge emphasized that such behavior raised ongoing questions about her compliance with laws and regulations, which are critical for maintaining national security.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · For Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00014

deniedNov 17, 2025· Hon. Marc E. Curry· hearing

Summary

A 27-year-old systems engineer was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline E (Personal Conduct) and Guideline H (Drug Involvement). The Statement of Reasons detailed her failure to disclose marijuana use on a 2018 Public Trust Position application, as well as infrequent marijuana use between 2016 and 2018.

More significantly, the applicant used prohibited drugs between 2021 and 2023 while already holding access to classified information. She also used hallucinogenic mushrooms after completing her security clearance application. These actions raised disqualifying conditions related to personal conduct and drug involvement.

While some mitigating conditions were considered for her earlier conduct, the judge found ongoing concerns regarding her judgment and reliability, particularly due to her illegal drug use occurring after she had been granted access to classified information. Consequently, her security clearance application was denied.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant mitigated the concern related to failing to disclose marijuana use on her 2018 application due to her prompt admission and good faith efforts to correct the omission.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedSubstance Misuse
AG ¶ 26(d)rejectedSatisfactory Completion of TreatmentWhile the applicant completed counseling, her drug use after clearance raised ongoing concerns.

Mitigating

AG ¶ 17(a)appliedPrompt Good-faith Efforts to Correct
AG ¶ 26(d)appliedSatisfactory Completion of TreatmentThe applicant's earlier marijuana use was mitigated by her counseling and abstinence.

Key Rule Quoted

“The protection of the national security is the paramount consideration.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedApr 30, 2024
Answer filedJun 4, 2024
Hearing heldMay 6, 2025via video teleconference
Decision dateNov 17, 2025

Cite For

Mitigation of Past Drug Use Under Guideline H
Impact of Post-clearance Drug Use on Security Clearance Eligibility
Consideration of the Whole-person Concept 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 E (Personal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant's omission of marijuana use on her 2017 Public Trust Position application constituted a falsification. However, the applicant's proactive steps towards rehabilitation and her abstinence from drug use since 2022 were noted, but ultimately, the judge concluded that the applicant did not mitigate the security concerns, resulting in a denied security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
1.a	Failure to disclose marijuana use on her 2018 Public Trust Position application.	For Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATESELF-CORRECTED	Other	Admitted	(a) deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification on a security form	(a) prompt, good-faith correction before being confronted	Credited Corrected Falsification Promptly

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

Standardized Decision Profile

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

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on allegations of drug involvement, specifically regarding prohibited drug use while holding a security clearance. The applicant's infrequent marijuana use prior to 2021 was found to be mitigated, but the use of marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms after being granted access to classified information was not mitigated. The overall outcome was a denial of the security clearance due to concerns about national security.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
2.a	Infrequent and sporadic marijuana use between 2016 and 2018.	For Applicant	Marijuana	Occasional	Admitted	—	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur	Documented Abstinence Period Documented
2.b	Use of prohibited drugs between 2021 and 2023 while granted access to classified information.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Not Applicable	Denied	(a) any substance misuse	—	—
2.c	Use of hallucinogenic mushrooms after completing the security clearance application.	Against Applicant	Psilocybin	Not Applicable	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.