Hoping someone can give me insight. I’ve been working for the DOD for 3 years now (currently 23) when i first started in October of 2019 i was freshly out of my first year of college and had experimented with marijuana use. Before college i had not used any drugs at all and college is where it started. Marijuana was my go to and i experimented 4 times with ecstasy, used Molly 7 times, took LSD twice and did cocaine once all between September of 2018 to December of 2020. Marijuana was my go to like i said and used it daily until cutting off completely January 5th of 2022 on my own when i started a new role in my company that requires a secret clearance. I haven’t been asked to do my secret clearance paperwork for some reason but i am thinking about applying to a TDY position in another country for the same company and i know i will be required to do a SF86 form for it . People have told me say no on the drug question others have said be honest, i don’t want to ruin my chances of obtaining a TS/SCI if the opportunity arises in the future for a job. I do have some debt that i have been paying off i have about $3,000 in CC debt and $10,000 in student loans that are deferred at the moment. My question is does my drug use automatically disqualify me since it’s so recent and since i used drugs while holding a government job? I did do Equip back in 2020 i don’t remember if there was a drug question i do know it asked the basic residence history, work history and asked for references. I can’t access my equip anymore for some reason to see what it was for.
I do not know if your drug use will disqualify you or not. However, never, ever, lie on your SF-86. If you lie and it is later discovered, you will most certainly be automatically disqualified and lose any existing clearance. Lying is absolute proof that you are dishonest and not to be trusted.
Thank you yes i am definitely going to disclose everything. The only mitigating factor is i no longer associate myself with those friends and they all moved back to their home state. My boss told me i shouldn’t worry about it and answer no but like i said the last thing i want to do is ruin my chances at keeping a government job i love what i do and also ruin my chances at getting a higher clearance if i get into a role where i need a TS/SCI
First, totally agree gotta be honest with SF86.
I am not an expert but last time during my poly I was asked any use in the “ past two years,” and the examiner made it sound like the “ two years” time frame instead of “ ever” was a leniency on the drug use question.
Secondly, if I were you, I may apply for that clearance later, let more time pass. It’s not just about how long ago you did, it is also about how frequent, what kind of drug you used, and how you obtained it ( did you ever buy or sell), once the drug portion is answered, those are the follow up questions you will have to answer too. I think let the time mitigate it then you are more likely to be favorably adjudicated , which is better than submitting SOR or being denied.