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ISCR Case 24-00973 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00973

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

Case Profile
Decision Date6/3/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Marc E. Curry
Government Counsel: Andre M. Gregorian
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 28-year-old single man employed as an engineering systems modeling test engineer for a defense contractor. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline H, related to drug involvement and substance misuse. The core allegations included the applicant's history of frequent marijuana use and other illegal drug use, including cocaine and psychedelic substances, over several years.
The applicant admitted to the allegations in the SOR, acknowledging a history of substance misuse that included daily marijuana use from 2015 to 2020 and occasional use of other drugs. He claimed to have stopped all drug use in March 2023, attributing his cessation to a newfound maturity and a stable relationship with his fiancé. However, the administrative judge noted that the applicant's recent drug use, particularly marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms, raised concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that while some mitigating factors applied to his past drug use, the recency and frequency of his marijuana and psychedelic mushroom use were significant enough to outweigh these factors. The judge determined that it was not clearly consistent with national security interests to grant the applicant a security clearance, resulting in a denial of eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00973

deniedJun 3, 2025· Hon. Marc E. Curry· hearing

Summary

A 28-year-old engineer was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to a history of substance misuse, specifically the recent use of marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms. The Statement of Reasons detailed a pattern of drug involvement, noting the applicant's abuse of these substances as recently as March 2023. While the applicant had not used cocaine or LSD in nearly six years and had established a pattern of abstinence from illegal drugs since March 2023, these mitigating factors were ultimately deemed insufficient.

The administrative judge acknowledged the applicant's efforts, including a two-year period of abstinence from illegal drugs and a shift in focus towards his relationship and job, with friends no longer using illegal drugs. However, the recency and frequency of the applicant's marijuana and psychedelic mushroom use were considered significant disqualifying conditions.

Ultimately, the judge concluded that the applicant failed to adequately mitigate the security concerns stemming from the recent drug use. Despite positive changes, the frequency and recency of the substance misuse outweighed the positive security inferences, leading to the denial of eligibility for access to classified information.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant's recent drug use, including marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms as of March 2023, raised significant security concerns.
The administrative judge concluded that the applicant failed to mitigate these concerns despite a two-year period of abstinence from illegal drugs.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedPossession of Drug Paraphernalia

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)rejectedBehavior Happened so Long Ago or Was InfrequentThe recency and frequency of the applicant's drug use outweighed the positive inference.
AG ¶ 26(b)appliedAcknowledgment of Drug Involvement and Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome the ProblemThe applicant demonstrated a pattern of abstinence and disassociation from drug-using associates.

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedSep 17, 2024
Answer filedOct 10, 2024Applicant requested a decision based on evidence on file.
Hearing held—
Decision dateJun 3, 2025

Cite For

Evaluation of Recent Drug Use Under Guideline H
Consideration of the Whole-person Concept in Security Clearance Decisions
Impact of Frequency and Recency of Substance Misuse on 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: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant has a history of drug involvement and substance misuse, particularly with marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms. However, the applicant has not used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs since March 2023, which was considered in his favor. Ultimately, the application for a security clearance was denied due to the recency and frequency of his drug use outweighing positive factors.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has a history of drug involvement and substance misuse.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Drug Involvement	Unspecified	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia	—	—
1.b	Applicant abused marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms as recently as March 2023.	Against Applicant	Marijuana	Frequent	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia	—	Claimed Explanation of Omission Credible
1.c	Applicant has not used cocaine or LSD in nearly six years.	For Applicant	Unspecified Drug Involvement	Unspecified	Admitted	—	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur	Documented Abstinence Period Documented
1.d	Applicant's friends no longer use illegal drugs and he has settled down focusing on his relationship and job.	For Applicant	Unspecified Drug Involvement	Unspecified	Admitted	—	(b) acknowledges involvement; evidence of action; established abstinence	Claimed Character Letters
1.e	The recency and frequency of his use of marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms outweighs the positive security inference.	For Applicant	Unspecified Drug Involvement	Unspecified	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia	—	—
1.f	Applicant has established a pattern of abstinence from illegal drugs since March 2023.	For Applicant	Unspecified Drug Involvement	Unspecified	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.