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ISCR Case 24-00567 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00567

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

Case Profile
Decision Date4/10/2025
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Robert E. Coacher
Government Counsel: Aubrey De Angeles
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 37-year-old individual who sought a security clearance and faced allegations under Guideline H, concerning drug involvement and substance misuse. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) indicated that the applicant had used marijuana from January 2005 through November 2009 and again from February 2010 to October 2022. The applicant admitted to these allegations but provided explanations regarding his drug use history.
During the proceedings, the applicant testified that he began using marijuana at age 18, stopped to enlist in the Army, and resumed use after his separation in 2010. He reported that he ceased using marijuana completely in October 2022 and had passed a preemployment drug test in February 2023. The applicant acknowledged his past drug use, including three instances of using hallucinogenic mushrooms, which were not included in the SOR. He maintained that he had distanced himself from drug-using associates and had no intention of using drugs in the future.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that he had successfully mitigated the security concerns related to drug involvement. The judge noted the applicant's honesty in disclosing his drug use, his two-plus years of abstinence, and the supportive circumstances surrounding his decision to stop using drugs. Ultimately, the judge determined that granting the applicant eligibility for access to classified information was consistent with the national interest.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00567

grantedApr 10, 2025· Hon. Robert E. Coacher· hearing

Summary

A 37-year-old defense contractor was granted a security clearance despite concerns under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) related to his past marijuana use. The Statement of Reasons alleged that the applicant used marijuana with varying frequency from January 2005 through at least November 2009, and again from approximately February 2010 to October 2022. This raised a disqualifying condition under Adjudicative Guideline (AG) ¶ 25(a).

However, the administrative judge applied mitigating conditions under AG ¶ 26(a) and AG ¶ 26(b). The applicant demonstrated a credible pattern of abstinence from marijuana since October 2022. Furthermore, he fully disclosed his past drug use on his security clearance application and during his background interview.

The judge's decision to grant the clearance was significantly influenced by the applicant's honesty and truthfulness throughout the process, alongside his demonstrated abstinence.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated a credible pattern of abstinence from marijuana since October 2022.
He fully disclosed his past drug use on his security clearance application and during his background interview.
The applicant's honesty and truthfulness influenced the judge's decision.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedSubstance Misuse

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)appliedBehavior Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 26(b)appliedAcknowledgment and Pattern of Abstinence

Key Rule Quoted

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedApr 11, 2024
Answer filedApr 12, 2024
Hearing heldFeb 25, 2025
Decision dateApr 10, 2025

Cite For

Mitigation of Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Importance of Honesty in Security Clearance Applications
Pattern of Abstinence as a Mitigating 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: HearingDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant used marijuana with varying frequency from January 2005 through at least November 2009, and again from February 2010 to October 2022. However, the applicant demonstrated a pattern of abstinence since October 2022 and provided credible evidence of his commitment to abstain from illegal drug use in the future. The judge concluded that the applicant mitigated the security concerns under Guideline H, resulting in a granted decision.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used marijuana, with varying frequency, from January 2005 through at least November 2009, and again from about February 2010 to about October 2022.	For Applicant	Marijuana	Frequent	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur (b) acknowledges involvement; evidence of action; established abstinence	Documented Abstinence Period Documented Documented Voluntary Disclosure Before Confrontation Documented Acknowledgment and Remorse

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.