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Old 11-26-2010, 08:45 AM
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Default Navy Commission and Drug Use?

I have a young relative who's interested in a navy commission. She's competitive and has a clean background except she smoked a little MJ in college and HS. I was in the same boat back in the day and it didn't hurt me, but times change and I'm not sure where things stand right now.

Normally a little experimentation is not too big of a deal, but I'm trying to get a feel for how this might affect her competitiveness. She says she's smoked "less than 20 times" in her life. Are we still in the experimentation phase here?

Also does anyone know if this sort of history is more of an issue now that the economy is down and the military has more applicants?

Thanks
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Old 11-26-2010, 09:26 AM
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Originally Posted by rickair7777 View Post
I have a young relative who's interested in a navy commission. She's competitive and has a clean background except she smoked a little MJ in college and HS. I was in the same boat back in the day and it didn't hurt me, but times change and I'm not sure where things stand right now.

Normally a little experimentation is not too big of a deal, but I'm trying to get a feel for how this might affect her competitiveness. She says she's smoked "less than 20 times" in her life. Are we still in the experimentation phase here?

Also does anyone know if this sort of history is more of an issue now that the economy is down and the military has more applicants?

Thanks
I remember filling out a form in which you admit whether or not you've done certain drugs. As far as I know, as long as you pass your drug tests, then your history won't be held against you.
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Old 11-26-2010, 09:37 AM
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With as many qualified applicants that we have these days, I'm surprised that it's not a bigger deal. There are plenty of good applicants out here that don't have this on their record. However, I know quite a few people who have gotten in with this on their record. One had to get a "moral" waiver but the others did not. But in each instance they said that they had tried it once. You said she "experimented" in HS AND College...20 TIMES!!! That's a little more than experimenting. I'm not saying to lie but multiple cases of "experimentation" might not look well.

I truly wish her the best, I know kids will be kids, but 20 times might be a hard sell. I wish they would just legalize that crap and tax the he## out of it...but that's a discussion for another thread.
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Old 11-26-2010, 09:54 AM
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If it is looked over for the commissioning, I certainly hope she is over her "experimentation phase" because once you are in.........forget about it!
that has been my experience at least. NO 2ND CHANCES.

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Old 11-26-2010, 10:31 AM
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Make sure if the Navy tests for drugs it either doesn't use the hair spectroscopy technique or she has been years since her last experiment or second-hand exposure. Depends on the average growth rate for hair how much is ok I suppose, but women have long hair and you can't go into one of those tests with no hair or they assume you are positive.
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Old 11-26-2010, 10:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Cubdriver View Post
Make sure if the Navy tests for drugs it either doesn't use the hair spectroscopy technique or she has been years since her last experiment or second-hand exposure. Depends on the average growth rate for hair how much is ok I suppose, but women have long hair and you can't go into one of those tests with no hair or they assume you are positive.
The old second-hand ingestion or "I ate my cousin's tainted Brownies' excuse is defintiely one of the favorites.

Every medical and scientific report that I ever saw conclusively showed that a person would need to inhale or ingest an ENORMOUS amount of tainted product in order for their to be a residual affect.

Of course the reports I saw were from the testing facilities and the labs that they used. I'm sure someone out there could find a different report. I personally don't buy it though.

rickair777 - I only heard of one officer popping positive (made worse by him trying to avoid giving a sample) and that person was quickly made an EX-Marine after serving some time in Charleston's brig.

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Old 11-26-2010, 11:33 AM
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Thanks. We are a military family, she has no misconceptions about the rules once you are in. She just didn't really think she was going down this road when she was in school.
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Old 11-26-2010, 04:04 PM
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Is there any "record" of her doing this? In all seriousness, if she truly puts down "yes, I'm a regular pot-smoker" on a form, she's probably not going to get hired anywhere, much less the military. Say what you will, but copping to this to the Navy would be foolish.
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Old 11-26-2010, 04:41 PM
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I totally agree with Deuce 130. We don`t need any pot heads in the military, but if this gal has put "reefer madness' in her past, she would get a "headwork down" is she puts that info on paper.
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Old 11-27-2010, 01:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Cubdriver View Post
but women have long hair and you can't go into one of those tests with no hair or they assume you are positive.
Oh, if they want to test a hair, they'll find a hair....
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