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ISCR Case 24-01367 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 24-01367

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/6/2025
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Richard A. Cefola
Government Counsel: Tara R. Karoian
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 27-year-old defense contractor who sought a security clearance after submitting his Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) in March 2024. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) on August 27, 2024, citing security concerns under Guideline H (Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse). The allegations included the applicant's past use of marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, and cocaine.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to the allegations regarding his drug use but provided explanations and evidence of his intent to abstain from future substance misuse. He indicated that he had stopped using marijuana in December 2023 and had not used other substances for over two years. The applicant presented signed statements of intent to abstain from all drug involvement and provided character references from his workplace and community.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that he had mitigated the security concerns related to his past drug involvement. The judge found that the applicant's previous substance use was not of present security significance, considering the time elapsed since his last use, his demonstrated commitment to abstinence, and his positive reputation in his community. Consequently, the judge granted the applicant eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-01367

grantedMar 6, 2025· Hon. Richard A. Cefola· hearing

Summary

A 27-year-old defense contractor was granted a security clearance despite a history of drug involvement under Guideline H. The applicant admitted to using marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, and cocaine over several years. Marijuana use began in high school around June 2016, continuing about once or twice a month, including obtaining it from a California dispensary after turning 21. This use stopped in December 2023, three months before he realized its illegality under federal law when completing his March 2024 e-QIP.

The applicant also used psilocybin mushrooms four times and LSD twice between January 2018 and June 2022. Cocaine use occurred 5-10 times at his college fraternity from January 2018 to June 2020. All drug use ceased more than two and a half years prior to his hearing for hallucinogens, and over four and a half years for cocaine.

The administrative judge found that the applicant had taken significant steps to mitigate security concerns. These included providing testimony and two signed statements of intent to abstain from all drug involvement and substance misuse. The judge concluded that the applicant's past infrequent drug use, which occurred several years prior, was not of present security significance, and his current reliability and trustworthiness were supported by community evidence. Eligibility for access to classified information was therefore granted.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated a commitment to abstain from drug use through signed statements.
The applicant's drug use was infrequent and occurred several years prior to the hearing.
The applicant's current reliability and trustworthiness were not in doubt, as evidenced by community support.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26 (a)appliedBehavior Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 26 (b)appliedAcknowledgment and Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome Drug Involvement

Key Rule Quoted

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedAug 27, 2024
Answer filed—
Hearing heldFeb 20, 2025
Decision dateMar 6, 2025

Cite For

Mitigating Conditions for Past Drug Use Under Guideline H
Importance of Signed Statements of Intent to Abstain From Drug Use
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 H (Drug Involvement) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant's past drug involvement, including the use of marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, and cocaine, did not pose a present security risk. The applicant demonstrated intent to abstain from all drug involvement and substance misuse, leading to a decision to grant security clearance eligibility.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant admits to first using marijuana beginning in high school, about June of 2016. Once Applicant turned 21, he obtained marijuana from a dispensary, as its use was legal in California. His usage was about once or twice a month. He realized its use was illegal under Federal Law when he executed his March 2024 e-QIP. His usage had stopped about three months prior in December of 2023. He intends no future usage of this or any other illegal substance, as evidenced by his testimony, and by two signed statements of intent to abstain from all drug involvement and substance misuse.	For Applicant	Marijuana	Occasional	Admitted	—	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur	Documented Signed Intent with Revocation Clause
1.b	Applicant admits using hallucinogenic psylocibin mushrooms four times, and LSD twice, from about January 2018 to about June 2022, a four-year period, more than two and a half years prior to his hearing. Again, he has signed two statements of intent to abstain from all drug involvement and substance misuse.	For Applicant	Psilocybin	Experimental	Admitted	—	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur	Documented Signed Intent with Revocation Clause
1.c	Applicant admits using cocaine 5~10 times at his college fraternity, from about January 2018 to about June 2020, a two-year period, more than four and a half years prior to his hearing. He has signed two statements of intent to abstain from all drug involvement and substance misuse.	For Applicant	Cocaine	Experimental	Admitted	—	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur	Documented Signed Intent with Revocation Clause

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.