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ISCR Case 24-00914 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00914

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

Case Profile
Decision Date1/17/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionsSee the hearing decision (Case 24-00914) →See the appeal decision (Case 24-00914) →
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Roger C. Wesley
Government Counsel: Tara R. Karoian
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 27-year-old employee of a defense contractor seeking a security clearance. The adjudicative guidelines at issue were related to drug involvement and substance misuse. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) outlined multiple allegations, including the applicant's use of marijuana, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, cocaine, and non-prescribed Adderall over several years, with the last reported use of marijuana occurring in July 2022.
In his response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to all allegations but claimed to have taken steps to address his substance use, including disassociating from drug-using acquaintances and purchasing a home with his fiancée. He asserted that his past drug use did not reflect his current state and expressed a commitment to abstaining from illegal substances. The administrative judge found that while the applicant's assurances of discontinued drug involvement were plausible, the history of illegal drug use raised significant security concerns regarding his judgment and reliability.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he did not sufficiently mitigate the concerns related to his drug involvement. The judge emphasized that the applicant's lengthy history of illegal drug use was incompatible with the trustworthiness required for access to classified information, leading to the denial of his security clearance.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
Similar decisions
Other decisions whose allegations read most like this one. Descriptive similarity of the allegations only — not a prediction.
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00914

deniedJan 17, 2025· Hon. Roger C. Wesley· hearing

Summary

A 27-year-old defense contractor was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to a history of extensive drug use and purchases. The applicant's drug involvement included marijuana use from approximately January 2016 to July 2023, LSD and psilocybin mushrooms from December 2018 to January 2020, cocaine from November 2020 to January 2021, and non-prescribed Adderall from May 2018 to December 2022. Additionally, the applicant purchased marijuana from January 2016 to December 2022.

The decision cited Disqualifying Conditions ¶ 25(a) and ¶ 25(c), noting the applicant's lengthy history of illegal drug use and purchases. While the applicant claimed to have ceased drug use and distanced himself from drug-using acquaintances, the judge found these actions insufficient.

Ultimately, the clearance was denied because there was inadequate evidence of sustained abstinence from drug use to mitigate security concerns. The judge determined that the applicant's limited period of cessation was too short to alleviate the risk of recurrence, emphasizing the need for reliability and trustworthiness for access to classified information.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant had a lengthy history of illegal drug use and purchases, including marijuana and other controlled substances.
The judge found insufficient evidence of sustained abstinence from drug use to mitigate security concerns.
The applicant's limited period of cessation from drug use was deemed too short to alleviate risks of recurrence.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

DC ¶ 25(a)appliedAny Substance Misuse
DC ¶ 25(c)appliedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance

Key Rule Quoted

“Eligibility for access to classified information may only be granted "upon a finding that it is clearly consistent with the national interest to do so."”
— Exec. Or. 10865, Safeguarding Classified Information within Industry § 2 (Feb. 20, 1960)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedAug 12, 2024
Answer filedAug 18, 2024Requested decision on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateJan 17, 2025

Cite For

Insufficient Evidence of Sustained Abstinence Under Guideline H
Importance of Reliability and Trustworthiness for Access to Classified Information
Criteria for Evaluating Drug Involvement and Substance Abuse Concerns

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: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant had a history of drug involvement, including the use of marijuana, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, cocaine, and non-prescribed Adderall. Despite the applicant's claims of having taken steps to overcome his drug use, the judge concluded that the security concerns were not mitigated, resulting in a denial of eligibility for a security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	used marijuana from about January 2016 until at least July 2023	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Regular	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Severed Ties to Using Friends Claimed Other
1.b	used LSD from about December 2018 until at least January 2020, with varying frequency	Against Applicant	LSDWHILE CLEARED	Experimental	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	used psilocybin mushrooms from about December 2018 until at least January 2020, with varying frequency	Against Applicant	PsilocybinWHILE CLEARED	Frequent	Admitted	—	—	—
1.d	used cocaine from about November 2020 until at least January 2021, with varying frequency	Against Applicant	CocaineWHILE CLEARED	Occasional	Admitted	—	—	—
1.e	used prescription medication Adderall that was not prescribed for him from about May 2018 until at least December 2022	Against Applicant	Prescription Stimulant MisuseWHILE CLEARED	Frequent	Admitted	—	—	—
1.f	purchased marijuana from about January 2016 until at least December 2022	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Regular	Admitted	—	—	—

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.