Ok, so I had smoked marijuana in High School maybe 50 times and was arrested for possession in 2012. I was 17 years old. I had 6months probation which I completed and it was erased from my record. I’ve used marijuana maybe 20times since then(december 2019). I’m 1year clean. What are the chances I can get any type of security clearance ?
Why don’t you apply and find out for yourself?
None of us here can really give you an answer.
Then again, your inaugural post on this forum is like thousands of others’, suggesting you didn’t do much reading on the topic beforehand. There’s even a DoD Adjudicative Desk Reference you can read through – it will tell you far more than space allows on these forums.
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I think you should be able to get a secret clearance at least. One problem might be that some contractors, after giving you a tentative offer and asking to fill out a pre-screen, may be unwilling to risk a long wait for the clearance, or say you have to get an interim within a certain amount of time.
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So . . . after seven or eight years of smoking about three times a year, you’ve managed to stay clear for a year. I don’t think that mitigates anything. Personally, I would say that your use is too recent to risk. You haven’t shown that you have stopped, you have only shown that you have paused. Maybe only in order to apply for a cleared job.
Squirrel is right . . . Contractors are going to look at your SF86 and see the use. They are going to know that your clearance is going to take longer than someone without use and they may not want to have you processing for so long with a question over your head.
I guess that the arrest wasn’t enough to get you to quit?
I was 17 when I was arrested. I was a dumb kid. so no the arrest wasn’t enough to get me to quit. Kids do stupid things… I’m a man with a family now.
In 2012, you were 17 . . . In 2019, you were 24 and the arrest hadn’t sunk in?
Look . . . This doesn’t matter to me. I’m not trying to be a jerk or anything but this is how they are going to look at all of this. If you are going to say that you have matured, you’re going to have to show it.
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Normally, 12 months clean is enough if you are under the age of 24, and MJ was considered experimental. Your use, as described was quite a bit above that line, so they may very well want more time to mitigate and demonstrate you put it behind you and didn’t just “pause” as Ed captured. I would anticipate a lot of questions regarding the use, your references will also be questioned. So be completely honest on this form. Do not lie, or play down the drug or amount of use. You have a lot going in your favor to include getting married, family man, wising up, and maturity. But the amount of use post arrest is still more than casual. Are you ready to give it up or would you smoke again if an old buddy came to town or there was a celebration at work? Only you know the answer to that.
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