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ISCR Case 24-00856 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00856

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

Case Profile
Decision Date7/1/2025
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Braden M. Murphy
Government Counsel: Lauren A. Shure
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 24-year-old software engineer who applied for a security clearance in October 2023. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline E (personal conduct) and Guideline H (drug involvement and substance misuse) due to the applicant's marijuana use from November 2021 to September 2023 and his failure to disclose this drug use on his security clearance application.
The applicant admitted to both allegations in the SOR, explaining that he had used marijuana socially during college and had stopped using it upon receiving a job offer. He acknowledged that he deliberately failed to disclose his drug use on the application out of fear of disqualification but later provided full disclosure during a background interview. He expressed a commitment to abstain from illegal drug use in the future and noted that he had distanced himself from peers who still used marijuana.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, granting his eligibility for access to classified information. The judge found that the applicant's admissions and subsequent actions demonstrated a willingness to comply with laws and regulations, and his year of abstinence from drug use was deemed significant in mitigating the security concerns raised. The judge emphasized the importance of honesty in the security clearance process and concluded that the applicant's overall conduct and intent supported a favorable decision.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · For Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00856

grantedJul 1, 2025· Hon. Braden M. Murphy· hearing

Summary

A 24-year-old software engineer was granted a security clearance despite initial concerns under Guideline E (Personal Conduct) and Guideline H (Drug Involvement). The Statement of Reasons alleged that the applicant failed to disclose his illegal drug use on his October 2023 security clearance application and used marijuana for approximately two years, from 2021 to September 2023, during his college years.

Disqualifying conditions were raised under Adjudicative Guideline (AG) ¶ 16(a). However, the judge applied several mitigating conditions, specifically AG ¶ 26(a), AG ¶ 26(b), and AG ¶ 17(a).

The decision to grant the clearance was based on several factors. The applicant fully disclosed his marijuana use during a subsequent background interview, correcting his initial omission. He also demonstrated a clear commitment to abstain from future drug use and acknowledged the critical importance of honesty within the security clearance process. Furthermore, his drug use was limited to his college years, and he had not used marijuana since September 2023.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant fully disclosed his marijuana use during a background interview after initially omitting it from his application.
He demonstrated a commitment to abstain from drug use and acknowledged the importance of honesty in the clearance process.
The applicant's drug use was confined to his college years, and he had not used marijuana since September 2023.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 16(a)raisedDeliberate Omission, Concealment, or Falsification of Relevant Facts

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)appliedBehavior Happened so Long Ago, Was Infrequent, or Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 26(b)appliedAcknowledgment of Drug Involvement and Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome the Problem
AG ¶ 17(a)appliedPrompt, Good-faith Efforts to Correct the Omission

Key Rule Quoted

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJul 15, 2024
Answer filedJul 18, 2024
Hearing held—Decision based on written record.
Decision dateJul 1, 2025

Cite For

Mitigating Factors for Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Importance of Full Disclosure During Background Investigations
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: Decision on RecordDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant did not disclose his illegal drug use on his security clearance application but ultimately ruled in favor of the applicant. The applicant admitted to the allegation and demonstrated sufficient evidence of mitigation, leading to a decision to grant security clearance eligibility.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant did not disclose his illegal drug use on his October 2023 security clearance application.	For Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Admitted	—	(a) prompt, good-faith correction before being confronted	Claimed Other

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: Decision on RecordDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant used marijuana over a two-year period while in college, from 2021 to September 2023. Despite this history of use, the applicant demonstrated significant abstinence and expressed a commitment to avoid future drug use, leading to a decision to grant security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant used marijuana over about two years in college, from 2021 to September 2023.	For Applicant	Marijuana	Regular	Admitted	—	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur	Documented Abstinence Period Documented

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.