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ISCR Case 24-01713 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-01713

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

Case Profile
Decision Date5/21/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionSee the appeal decision (Case 24-01713) →
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: LeRoy F. Foreman
Government Counsel: Tovah A. Minster
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 25-year-old mechanical systems design and analysis engineer employed by a federal contractor since August 2022. The Department of Defense's Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) raised security concerns under Guideline H (Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse) in a Statement of Reasons (SOR) issued on October 11, 2024. The allegations included the applicant's use and purchase of marijuana from January 2018 to March 2024, despite his knowledge that such use was illegal under federal law.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to the allegations in the SOR, acknowledging his past marijuana use, including a medical marijuana card he held from July 2019 to July 2021. He testified that he ceased using marijuana after graduating in May 2022 but admitted to using a THC vape product once in March 2024. The applicant also recognized that he should have disclosed his drug use in his security clearance application and to his employer but failed to do so. The administrative judge found that the applicant's admissions established disqualifying conditions under the guidelines, particularly regarding substance misuse and illegal possession of a controlled substance.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled to deny the applicant's security clearance. The decision was based on the applicant's admissions of illegal drug use, his failure to disclose this information, and the potential risk to national security posed by his actions. The judge emphasized the importance of trust and reliability in individuals with access to classified information, concluding that the applicant had not demonstrated sufficient rehabilitation or changed circumstances to mitigate the security concerns.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
Similar decisions
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-01713

deniedMay 21, 2025· Hon. LeRoy F. Foreman· hearing

Summary

A 25-year-old mechanical systems design engineer was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to his admitted marijuana use. The applicant used marijuana with varying frequency from approximately January 2018 to March 2024 and purchased it from January 2018 to July 2021. He also possessed a medical marijuana card.

Disqualifying conditions included his admitted drug involvement, illegal drug possession, and failure to abide by federal law. While mitigating conditions acknowledged his infrequent use and the passage of time since some use, these were insufficient to overcome the security concerns.

The denial was based on several factors: the applicant's admission of marijuana use despite knowing its federal illegality, his failure to disclose this use on his security clearance application, and his continued use even after receiving an interim clearance. These actions raised significant credibility issues and demonstrated a lack of compliance with federal law, leading to the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using marijuana and knew it was illegal under federal law.
He failed to disclose his drug use in his security clearance application, which raised credibility issues.
The applicant's recent use of marijuana occurred after he was granted an interim clearance, indicating a lack of compliance with federal law.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedSubstance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
AG ¶ 25(f)raisedIllegal Drug Use While Holding a Sensitive Position

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26(a)rejectedBehavior Unlikely to RecurThe applicant's last use was recent and occurred after he was granted an interim clearance.
AG ¶ 26(b)rejectedAcknowledgment of Drug Involvement and Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome the ProblemThe applicant continues to live with a marijuana user and has not provided evidence of rehabilitation.

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 filedNov 15, 2024
Hearing heldApr 22, 2025conducted by video teleconference
Decision dateMay 21, 2025

Cite For

Disqualifying Conditions Related to Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Failure to Disclose Drug Use in Security Clearance Applications
Impact of Recent Drug Use on Security Clearance Eligibility

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: denied

The judge found that the applicant used marijuana with varying frequency from January 2018 to March 2024, which was ruled against the applicant. However, the applicant's purchase of marijuana from January 2018 to July 2021 was found in favor of the applicant. The overall outcome was a denial of the security clearance due to the established disqualifying conditions related to illegal drug use.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used marijuana with varying frequency from about January 2018 to about March 2024.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Frequent	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse (c) illegal possession, cultivation, manufacture, purchase, sale, or distribution; or paraphernalia (f) any illegal drug use while holding a clearance or sensitive position	—	—
1.b	Applicant purchased marijuana with varying frequency from about January 2018 to about July 2021.	For Applicant	Marijuana	Frequent	Admitted	—	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse

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.