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ISCR Case 24-01515 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-01515

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

Case Profile
Decision Date9/2/2025
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Roger C. Wesley
Government Counsel: Aubrey De Angeles
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 38-year-old employee of a defense contractor seeking a security clearance. The adjudicative guidelines at issue were related to drug involvement and substance abuse. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) alleged that the applicant had used marijuana with varying frequency from September 2011 to February 2023, raising concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness.
In his response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to using marijuana approximately ten times, primarily during college, and explained that he resumed use briefly in February 2023 for medicinal purposes to alleviate back pain from a diagnosed spinal condition. He expressed regret for this decision, stating it was not the correct course of action, and emphasized that he had not used marijuana since that time. The applicant provided medical documentation supporting his ongoing treatment for his back condition and asserted his commitment to abstaining from illegal substances in the future.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, granting eligibility for access to classified information. The judge found that the applicant had successfully mitigated the concerns regarding drug involvement and substance abuse by demonstrating a clear understanding of the implications of his actions, a commitment to compliance with laws, and a lack of evidence from the government to challenge his claims of cessation of marijuana use. The judge concluded that granting the security clearance was consistent with the national interest.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
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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. 24-01515

grantedSep 2, 2025· Hon. Roger C. Wesley· hearing

Summary

A 38-year-old defense contractor was granted a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) despite admitting to intermittent marijuana use from 2011 to 2023. The Statement of Reasons specifically alleged marijuana use with varying frequency during this period, raising Disqualifying Conditions 25(a) and 25(c).

However, the judge applied Mitigating Conditions 26(a) and 26(b). The applicant demonstrated a commitment to abstain from illegal substances, and there was no evidence presented to challenge these claims of abstinence.

The decision to grant the clearance was based on the finding that the applicant's past marijuana use was infrequent and occurred under circumstances unlikely to recur. The judge concluded that the applicant's assurances and the absence of contradictory evidence warranted granting eligibility for a security clearance.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated a commitment to abstain from illegal substances.
There was no evidence challenging the applicant's claims of abstinence.
The applicant's past marijuana use was infrequent and occurred under circumstances unlikely to recur.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

DC ¶ 25(a)raisedAny Substance Misuse
DC ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance

Mitigating

MC ¶ 26(a)appliedThe Behavior Happened so Long Ago, Was so Infrequent, or Happened Under Such Circumstances That It Is Unlikely to Recur or Does Not Cast Doubt on the Individual’s Current Reliability, Trustworthiness, or Good Judgment
MC ¶ 26(b)appliedThe Individual Acknowledges His or Her Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse, Provides Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome This Problem, and Has Established a Pattern of Abstinence

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), as amended.

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedNov 26, 2024
Answer filedDec 29, 2024Applicant elected to have the case decided on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateSep 2, 2025

Cite For

Mitigation of Drug Involvement Concerns Under Guideline H
Commitment to Abstain From Illegal Substances as a Mitigating Factor
Evaluation of Past Drug Use in the Context of Whole-person Assessment

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: granted

The judge found that the applicant's past use of marijuana was mitigated by his explanations and circumstances surrounding the use. The applicant admitted to using marijuana approximately 10 times, primarily in college, and resumed use briefly in February 2023 for medicinal purposes related to a diagnosed spinal condition. The judge concluded that the applicant's claims of cessation and commitment to abstain from future use were credible, 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.a	Applicant allegedly used marijuana with varying frequency from about September 2011 through about February 2023.	For Applicant	Marijuana	Occasional	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse Claimed Abstinence Period Documented Claimed Rehabilitation Evidence

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.