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ISCR Case 24-01606 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 24-01606

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

Case Profile
Decision Date8/18/2025
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Robert B. Blazewick
Government Counsel: Alison P. O'Connell
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 25-year-old individual who sought a security clearance after being employed by a defense contractor. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline H (Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse), alleging that the applicant had used various controlled substances, including cocaine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, stimulants, and depressants, over several years. The applicant admitted to all allegations in the SOR, indicating that his drug use was primarily experimental and had ceased prior to his employment.
The administrative judge found that the applicant's admissions and the evidence presented established disqualifying conditions under Guideline H. However, the judge also noted mitigating factors, including the applicant's youth, his candor regarding his past drug use, and the significant time that had passed since his last use of any substances. The applicant had demonstrated a pattern of abstinence and had distanced himself from drug-using associates. Ultimately, the judge ruled in favor of the applicant, granting eligibility for access to classified information, concluding that the applicant's past drug use did not cast doubt on his current reliability, trustworthiness, or good judgment.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-01606

grantedAug 18, 2025· Hon. Robert B. Blazewick· hearing

Summary

This security clearance decision involved a 25-year-old male applicant with a bachelor's degree, whose eligibility was initially questioned under Guideline H (Drug Involvement). The Statement of Reasons detailed multiple instances of drug use, including cocaine approximately ten times between January 2020 and July 2023, and hallucinogenic mushrooms about three times from March 2018 to March 2023.

Additionally, the applicant used marijuana and stimulants with varying frequency from October 2017 to December 2023 and January 2018 to December 2023, respectively. He also reported using depressants and Xanax without a prescription in December 2017, and Adderall without a prescription from August 2018 to May 2023. These allegations raised disqualifying conditions AG ¶ 25(a) and AG ¶ 25(c).

Despite these concerns, the applicant's security clearance was GRANTED. The decision was based on several mitigating factors, specifically AG ¶ 26(a) and AG ¶ 26(b). The applicant acknowledged his past drug use, demonstrated a clear pattern of abstinence, and provided evidence of changed circumstances, including his transition from college to a defense contractor role. His youth and candor in reporting his drug use were also significant factors in the favorable outcome.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant acknowledged his past drug use and demonstrated a pattern of abstinence.
He provided evidence of changed circumstances, transitioning from college to a defense contractor role.
The applicant's youth and candor in reporting his drug use contributed to the judge's decision.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)appliedBehavior Happened so Long Ago, Was so Infrequent, or Happened Under Such Circumstances That It Is Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 26(b)appliedAcknowledgment of Drug Involvement and Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome the Problem

Key Rule Quoted

“Eligibility for a security clearance is predicated upon the applicant meeting the criteria contained in the adjudicative guidelines.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedOct 11, 2024
Answer filedJan 8, 2025
Hearing held—Decision made on the written record.
Decision dateAug 18, 2025

Cite For

Mitigation of Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Pattern of Abstinence as a Mitigating Factor
Consideration of Age and Changed Circumstances 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: Decision on RecordDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant used cocaine approximately ten times, hallucinogenic mushrooms three times, marijuana with varying frequency, stimulants with varying frequency, and misused Adderall and Xanax without prescriptions. Despite these admissions, the judge concluded that the applicant mitigated the security concerns related to drug involvement and substance misuse, resulting in a granted clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used cocaine approximately ten times from January 2020 to July 2023.	For Applicant	Cocaine	Occasional	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	—
1.b	Applicant used hallucinogenic mushrooms approximately three times from March 2018 to March 2023.	For Applicant	Psilocybin	Occasional	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	—
1.c	Applicant used marijuana with varying frequency from October 2017 to December 2023.	For Applicant	Marijuana	Frequent	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	—
1.d	Applicant used stimulants with varying frequency from January 2018 to December 2023.	For Applicant	Prescription Stimulant Misuse	Frequent	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	—
1.e	Applicant used depressants in December 2017.	For Applicant	Unspecified Drug Involvement	Not Applicable	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	—
1.f	Applicant used Adderall without a prescription from August 2018 to May 2023.	For Applicant	Prescription Stimulant Misuse	Regular	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	—
1.g	Applicant used Xanax without a prescription in December 2017.	For Applicant	Benzodiazepine Misuse	Not Applicable	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	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline H). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

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