CASE · Clearance Adjudication Search EngineCASE

Loading case…

ISCR Case 24-02201 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 24-02201

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

Case Profile
Decision Date11/28/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Paul J. Mason
Government Counsel: George A. Hawkins
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 38-year-old software engineer who applied for a security clearance required for his position with a defense contractor. The adjudicative guideline at issue was Guideline H, concerning drug involvement. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) alleged that the applicant had used marijuana from 2005 to January 2024, had used Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) from January to December 2024, and intended to continue using THCA in the future.
The applicant admitted to all allegations in the SOR, stating that he had used marijuana to cope with anxiety and had switched to using THCA after January 2024. He indicated that he had not purchased any drugs in the last seven years and had never undergone drug treatment. However, he expressed a willingness to continue using marijuana until he felt he no longer needed it for anxiety management. The applicant later claimed in October 2024 that he had stopped using marijuana, but his previous statements indicated a lack of concern regarding the legality of his drug use under federal law.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that his lengthy history of marijuana use and his equivocal intentions regarding future use were not sufficiently mitigated. The judge emphasized that the applicant's disregard for federal law concerning marijuana use raised significant concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness, ultimately leading to the denial of his security clearance application.
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.
Finding similar decisions…

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-02201

deniedNov 28, 2025· Hon. Paul J. Mason· hearing

Summary

A 38-year-old software engineer was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to a prolonged history of marijuana and THCA use, coupled with an expressed intent to continue using THCA. The applicant admitted to using marijuana from 2005 until January 2024, and subsequently used Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) from January to December 2024.

The Statement of Reasons specifically cited the applicant's use of marijuana (THC) from 2005 to January 2024, THCA use from January to December 2024, and the stated intention to continue THCA use. These actions raised disqualifying conditions under Adjudicative Guidelines paragraphs 25(a), 25(c), and 25(g).

The denial was based on the applicant's admitted drug use and the expressed intent for future use, which significantly impacted concerns about reliability and trustworthiness. The judge determined that the applicant's employment history and participation in therapy did not sufficiently mitigate the concerns arising from the extensive history of drug involvement and the unclear intentions regarding future use.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using marijuana from 2005 to January 2024 and THCA from January to December 2024.
The applicant expressed intentions to continue using THCA in the future, which raised concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness.
The applicant's history of drug use and unclear intentions regarding future use were not mitigated by his employment history or therapy.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedSubstance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
AG ¶ 25(g)raisedExpressed Intent to Continue Drug Involvement

Key Rule Quoted

“Changes in state laws or the District of Columbia, pertaining to marijuana use do not change the existing National Security Adjudicative Guidelines.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJan 24, 2025
Answer filedFeb 21, 2025
Hearing held—Applicant chose to have the case decided on the administrative record.
Decision dateNov 28, 2025Decision delayed due to federal government shutdown.

Cite For

Denial Based on Ongoing Drug Use Under Guideline H
Impact of Expressed Intent to Continue Illegal Drug Use on Security Clearance
Relevance of Federal Law Over State Law Regarding Marijuana Use

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 (THC) from 2005 to January 2024 and Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) from January to December 2024. The applicant also expressed an intention to continue using THCA in the future. The decision was denied based on concerns regarding the applicant's ongoing drug use and its implications for national security.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used marijuana (THC) from 2005 to January 2024.	Against Applicant	Marijuana	Regular	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant used Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) from January to December 2024.	Against Applicant	Marijuana	Regular	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant intends to continue using THCA in the future.	Against Applicant	Stated Intent to Use Again	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Other

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.