I’m interviewing for an internship that would require a secret security clearance.
I have used marijuana in the past a handful of times, with the most recent time being a few months ago. I am prescribed Ambien for insomnia and I mostly used marijuana to help me sleep. I have also taken Adderall a couple times to help with school.
I have no plan to use any drugs in the future, and I have a completely clean criminal record. I plan on being forthright with all of my information, but I am just wondering what my odds are for getting a clearance.
Illegal drug use a few months ago is an issue that will probably result in you getting issued a statement of reasons/letter of intent to deny you a clearance. You will have an opportunity to provide your side of the story and any relevant information that might help mitigate the concern.
Is there anything I can do to help mitigate this? I don’t think that I will even accept a job offer if there is a strong possibility that I don’t get clearance.
It will be hard to mitigate such recent drug use, but not impossible. It depends on the agency, position, your age and maturity level. Also considered is the number of times used, how much, what, how obtained, and why (especially since you knew it was illegal).
Do not admit to drug use, dummy. There is no way anyone will find out. You are your own worst enemy!!! Try something a little healthier to try sleeping, like a glass of wine. Lay off the mota. Sure you may develop an alcohol problem over time but as t least u will have a clearance.
Thank you for your help, I would just like to clarify some things on my background…
By the time I will be filling out my SF86, the last time I smoked will have been ~6 months prior.
I have maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the past 2 years and held another internship this past summer. Also, my employer for my internship gave me high ratings on my post-internship review.
One of the deciding factors in me smoking earlier this year was because I was sharing a room with a roommate, which was a cause of my sleep trouble. I have since moved and have my own room and no longer have bad sleep issues.
I understand that my recent use is going to be a large concern for my clearance regardless of the above info. Is there anything else I can do to help my case, like get a doctor’s prognosis, take a drug test, etc?