3.5 years ago I had a public trust clearance denied because i did not disclose marijuana use in college on my form but subsequently admitted to it in the interview. I have reapplied for a public trust clearance and have the interview on Tuesday. It has been 3.5 years since the incident, I have not used marijuana since that time and do not intend to do so, and no longer live in that city or have ties to anyone there. How should i approach this when asked by the investigator to ensure I have the best chance of getting my clearance?
The correct terminology for a public trust investigation is suitability, not clearance, as you are not granted eligibility for access to classified information. Section #18 of eth SF85P asks if you have ever been denied a clearance or debarred, not sure if you were debarred, but if so you should have answered yes and it will need to be explained in the interview. Based on what you said, you will not have to disclose drug use since it was not within the last year, but it may come up in the interview and if it does, be honest and forthright about it.
Question- did the interview involve a poly?
poly’s are flim flam. they are non-scientific, mostly based on subjectivity of the guy running the simple machine.