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ISCR Case 24-01413 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-01413

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

Case Profile
Decision Date2/20/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Robert E. Coacher
Government Counsel: Daniel O'Reilly
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 28-year-old material expeditor employed by a federal contractor, who sought a security clearance but faced allegations under Guideline H concerning drug involvement and substance misuse. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) issued by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) detailed that the applicant had used marijuana from July 2023 to at least October 2024, including during a period when he held a sensitive position. The SOR also indicated that the applicant intended to continue using marijuana in the future.
In his response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to using marijuana daily and acknowledged his intent to continue its use as long as it remained legal. He claimed to have obtained a medical marijuana card for post-traumatic stress disorder but did not provide evidence of this diagnosis. The applicant did not present any evidence of rehabilitation or a commitment to abstain from drug use, which contributed to the administrative judge's concerns regarding his reliability and trustworthiness.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he failed to mitigate the security concerns related to his ongoing marijuana use. The judge emphasized that the applicant's continued drug use and expressed intent to persist in this behavior raised significant doubts about his suitability for a security clearance, ultimately denying his eligibility for access to classified information.
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. 24-01413

deniedFeb 20, 2025· Hon. Robert E. Coacher· hearing

Summary

A 28-year-old material expeditor was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to admitted and ongoing marijuana use. The Statement of Reasons alleged that the applicant used marijuana from July 2023 to at least October 2024, including while holding a sensitive position, and intended to continue this use.

Disqualifying conditions were raised, citing the nature and recency of the drug involvement, the applicant's expressed intent to continue use, and his failure to demonstrate a change in behavior. While mitigating conditions were considered, they were not sufficient to overcome the security concerns.

The denial was based on the applicant's admission of continuous marijuana use during the specified period and his stated intent to continue using the substance. The judge determined that the applicant's lack of evidence for rehabilitation or a commitment to abstain from drug use significantly undermined his reliability and trustworthiness, leading to the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to ongoing marijuana use from July 2023 to October 2024.
He expressed intent to continue using marijuana in the future, undermining his reliability.
The applicant provided no evidence of rehabilitation or commitment to abstain from drug use.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 24raisedDrug Involvement and Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(a)raisedAny Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(f)raisedIllegal Drug Use While Holding a Sensitive Position
AG ¶ 25(g)raisedIntent to Continue Drug Involvement

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)rejectedBehavior Unlikely to RecurThe applicant's ongoing marijuana use and intent to continue using it do not support this condition.
AG ¶ 26(b)rejectedAcknowledgment and Evidence of RehabilitationThe applicant did not provide evidence of actions taken to overcome drug involvement.

Key Rule Quoted

“The illegal use of controlled substances...can raise questions about an individual’s reliability and trustworthiness.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedOct 16, 2024
Answer filedOct 25, 2024Applicant elected to have the case decided on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateFeb 20, 2025

Cite For

Ongoing Marijuana Use as a Disqualifying Factor Under Guideline H
Lack of Rehabilitation Evidence Impacting Security Clearance Decisions
Expressed Intent to Continue Drug Use as a Significant Concern for Reliability and Trustworthiness.

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 used marijuana frequently and ongoing, including while holding a sensitive position. The applicant admitted to his marijuana use and expressed an intention to continue using it in the future, which led to a denial of eligibility for access to classified information.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used marijuana from July 2023 to at least October 2024.	Against Applicant	Marijuana	Regular	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant used marijuana while holding a sensitive position.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Regular	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant intended to continue to use marijuana in the future.	Against Applicant	Stated Intent to Use Again	Not Applicable	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.