CASE · Clearance Adjudication Search EngineCASE

Loading case…

ISCR Case 25-01175 — CASE

DOHA Record Explorer

ISCR Case 25-01175

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/3/2026
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Benjamin R. Dorsey
Government Counsel: George A. Hawkins
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 46-year-old employee of a government contractor, seeking a security clearance. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline H, specifically regarding drug involvement and substance misuse. The allegations included the applicant's use and purchase of marijuana from January 2020 until at least September 2025, including while in a sensitive position, and his expressed intent to continue using marijuana in the future.
The applicant admitted to the allegations in the SOR without further comment. He claimed to hold a medical marijuana card and used marijuana to manage health issues, asserting that he intended to continue its use. Despite acknowledging his marijuana involvement, he did not provide evidence of efforts to mitigate the concerns, such as establishing a pattern of abstinence or disassociating from drug-using environments. The administrative judge noted that the applicant's continued use and intent to use marijuana, despite knowing it was illegal under federal law, indicated a lack of reliability and trustworthiness.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he did not mitigate the security concerns related to drug involvement. The judge found that the applicant's behavior was ongoing and that he failed to demonstrate any significant change or commitment to abstain from drug use, which ultimately led to the denial of 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.
Finding similar decisions…

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 25-01175

deniedMar 3, 2026· Hon. Benjamin R. Dorsey· hearing

Summary

A 46-year-old government contractor was denied a security clearance under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) due to ongoing substance misuse. The applicant admitted to using and purchasing marijuana from January 2020 until at least September 2025. This included using and purchasing marijuana while in a sensitive position from January 2025 to September 2025.

Further, the applicant stated an intent to continue using marijuana in the future. The judge noted that the applicant's admissions and stated intent raised disqualifying conditions under Guideline H, specifically concerning drug involvement and the knowing violation of federal law.

The denial was based on the applicant's admission of marijuana use and purchase while in a sensitive position, his expressed intent to continue use despite federal illegality, and a failure to provide evidence of rehabilitation or a commitment to abstain from drug use. Consequently, the judge found that the applicant did not mitigate the security concerns, leading to a denial of eligibility for access to classified information.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using and purchasing marijuana while holding a sensitive position.
He expressed intent to continue using marijuana despite knowing it was illegal under federal law.
The applicant failed to provide evidence of rehabilitation or a commitment to abstain from drug use.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)appliedAny Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)appliedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
AG ¶ 25(f)appliedIllegal Drug Use While Granted Access to Classified Information
AG ¶ 25(g)appliedExpressed Intent to Continue 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 3, 2025
Answer filedOct 14, 2025
Hearing held—Decision based on written record.
Decision dateMar 3, 2026

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Ongoing Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Failure to Mitigate Substance Misuse Concerns
Impact of Expressed Intent to Continue Illegal 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: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant's marijuana use and purchases from January 2020 to at least September 2025 raised significant security concerns. The applicant admitted to using marijuana while in a sensitive position and expressed an intention to continue its use in the future. The judge concluded that the applicant did not mitigate the concerns related to drug involvement and substance misuse, resulting in a denial of eligibility for a security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used marijuana with varying frequency from January 2020 until at least September 2025.	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 (g) expressed intent to continue, or failure to commit to discontinue	—	—
1.b	He purchased marijuana from January 2020 until at least September 2025.	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 (g) expressed intent to continue, or failure to commit to discontinue	—	—
1.c	From January 2025 to at least September 2025, he used and purchased marijuana while in a sensitive position.	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 (g) expressed intent to continue, or failure to commit to discontinue	—	—
1.d	He intends to use marijuana in the future.	Against Applicant	Stated Intent to Use Again	Not Applicable	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 (g) expressed intent to continue, or failure to commit to discontinue	—	—

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.