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ISCR Case 24-00833 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00833

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

Case Profile
Decision Date6/16/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Pamela C. Benson
Government Counsel: Cynthia Ruckno
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 28-year-old individual who sought a security clearance after being offered employment with a Department of Defense (DOD) contractor. The adjudicative guideline at issue was Guideline H, concerning drug involvement and substance misuse. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) outlined concerns regarding the applicant's past and current use of marijuana, which he admitted to using regularly since January 2020 for pain management related to a medical condition.
During the proceedings, the applicant acknowledged the allegations in the SOR, including his positive drug test for marijuana during a pre-employment screening and his ongoing use of marijuana, which he claimed was for medicinal purposes. He provided some context for his use, including obtaining a medical marijuana card, but also contradicted himself by admitting to social use of marijuana in a prior interrogatory. Despite his claims of using marijuana solely for medical reasons, the administrative judge found that he continued this use even after being informed of the potential implications for his security clearance.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he failed to mitigate the security concerns related to his drug involvement. The judge emphasized that the applicant's continued use of marijuana, despite being aware of its illegality under federal law, raised significant questions about his reliability and trustworthiness. The decision highlighted that the applicant's actions did not demonstrate a pattern of abstinence or a commitment to comply with laws and regulations, ultimately leading to the denial of his security clearance.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00833

deniedJun 16, 2025· Hon. Pamela C. Benson· hearing

Summary

A 28-year-old detail planner was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to his ongoing marijuana use. The Statement of Reasons detailed that the applicant used and purchased marijuana from approximately January 2020 to the present, testing positive for the substance in a May 2023 pre-employment drug test administered by a DOD contractor.

The applicant continued nightly marijuana use throughout his security clearance investigation and even after receiving the Statement of Reasons in June 2024. He candidly admitted that he would likely continue using marijuana in the future to manage back pain. These actions raised disqualifying conditions under Adjudicative Guidelines paragraphs 25(a), 25(b), and 25(c).

The denial was based on the applicant's continued marijuana use for medicinal purposes despite his awareness of its federal illegality. His admissions regarding this use raised significant concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness, and he failed to demonstrate a commitment to abstain from drug use, ultimately undermining his credibility for access to classified information.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant continued to use marijuana for medicinal purposes despite knowing it was illegal under federal law.
The applicant's admissions regarding his marijuana use raised questions about his reliability and trustworthiness.
The applicant failed to demonstrate a commitment to abstain from drug use, undermining his credibility.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedAny Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(b)raisedTesting Positive for an Illegal Drug
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance

Key Rule Quoted

“The illegal use of controlled substances . . . 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.”
— AG ¶ 24

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJun 14, 2024
Answer filedJun 17, 2024
Hearing heldApr 24, 2025
Decision dateJun 16, 2025

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Ongoing Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Impact of Federal Law on State-legal Drug Use in Security Clearance Cases
Importance of Demonstrating Commitment to Abstain From Illegal Substance Use for Security Clearance Eligibility

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: denied

The judge found that the applicant had ongoing issues with marijuana use, including a positive drug test and continued use during the security clearance investigation. The applicant's claims of future use for pain management were noted, but ultimately did not mitigate the concerns. The decision was denied based on the applicant's drug involvement.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used and purchased marijuana, with varying frequency, from about January 2020 to present.	Against Applicant	Marijuana	Frequent	Denied	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant tested positive for marijuana during a May 2023 drug pre-employment test given by a DOD contractor.	Against Applicant	Drug Test Failure	Not Applicable	Denied	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant continued to use marijuana during his security clearance investigation, on a nightly basis, and even after he received the SOR in June 2024.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Regular	Denied	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant was very candid that he would most likely use marijuana in the future as long as he continues to feel back pain.	Against Applicant	Stated Intent to Use Again	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.