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ISCR Case 24-01225 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-01225

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

Case Profile
Decision Date6/9/2025
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Mark W. Harvey
Government Counsel: Tara R. Karoian
Case Summary
The applicant in this case sought a security clearance and was evaluated under Guideline H, which pertains to drug involvement and substance misuse. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) outlined concerns regarding the applicant's history of illegal drug use, including marijuana, cocaine, Adderall, mushrooms, and LSD, spanning from 2010 to 2023. The Department of Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency determined that granting the applicant eligibility for access to classified information was not clearly consistent with national interest.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to the allegations in the SOR, detailing his drug use and confirming that he had ceased all illegal drug involvement several months prior to submitting his security clearance application. He provided evidence of his commitment to abstain from drug use in the future, including a signed statement and character references from colleagues that attested to his professionalism and reliability. The applicant's mitigating factors included the infrequency of his drug use and the circumstances surrounding it, as well as his proactive steps to avoid future substance misuse.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that the evidence presented sufficiently mitigated the concerns raised by the SOR. The judge found that the applicant's past drug involvement did not cast doubt on his current reliability and trustworthiness, particularly in light of the changing legal landscape regarding marijuana use. Ultimately, the judge determined that granting the applicant eligibility for access to classified information was consistent with national interest.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-01225

grantedJun 9, 2025· Hon. Mark W. Harvey· hearing

Summary

A security clearance was granted to a quality assurance engineer despite a history of drug involvement under Guideline H. The Statement of Reasons alleged involvement with various illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, Adderall, mushrooms, and LSD, raising disqualifying conditions AG ¶ 25(a) and AG ¶ 25(c).

However, the applicant successfully demonstrated significant mitigation. Key factors included establishing a clear pattern of abstinence from all illegal drugs prior to the hearing. Additionally, the applicant provided strong character references that consistently attested to his trustworthiness and professionalism.

The judge also considered the evolving legal landscape surrounding marijuana use in the decision-making process. Ultimately, the judge concluded that the applicant's current reliability and trustworthiness were sufficient to warrant the granting of the security clearance.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant established a pattern of abstinence from illegal drugs prior to the hearing.
The applicant provided character references that attested to his trustworthiness and professionalism.
The judge considered the changing legal landscape regarding marijuana use in his decision.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedSubstance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)appliedBehavior Occurred Long Ago or Infrequently
AG ¶ 26(b)appliedAcknowledgment and Actions Taken to Overcome Drug Involvement

Key Rule Quoted

“The concerns over Applicant’s history of drug involvement and substance misuse do not create doubt about his current reliability, trustworthiness, good judgment, and ability to protect classified information.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedAug 23, 2024
Answer filedSep 24, 2024
Hearing heldMay 20, 2025via Microsoft Teams
Decision dateJun 9, 2025

Cite For

Mitigation of Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Impact of Character References on Security Clearance Decisions
Consideration of Changing Marijuana Laws in Security Clearance Evaluations

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 had a history of involvement with illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, Adderall, mushrooms, and LSD. However, the applicant demonstrated sufficient evidence of mitigation, including a signed statement of intent to abstain from drug use and a history of abstinence, leading to a decision to grant eligibility for access to classified information.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1	Involvement with illegal drugs including marijuana, cocaine, Adderall, mushrooms, and LSD.	For Applicant	Unspecified Drug Involvement	Unspecified	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur (b) acknowledges involvement; evidence of action; established abstinence	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.