Comment by stackghost 3 days ago
FWIW I have held a security clearance during my career, and telling them I smoked weed was not a dealbreaker. What they are ultimately looking for is reasons why you could be coerced into divulging classified information. If you owe money due to drugs/gambling, etc, that's where it becomes a dealbreaker.
Yeah, this is true. They are looking for vulnerabilities that can be exploited by others - the fact you smoke a blunt once a week is not a problem in that regard.
You can see an archived list of industrial security clearance decisions here [0] which is interesting, and occasionally entertaining, reading. "Drug involvement security concerns" usually involve either actively using drugs or, worse, lying to cover up drug use, both of which are viewed as security concerns and grounds for rejection.
[0] https://web.archive.org/web/20170218040331/http://www.dod.mi...
wait, so I can apply and be honest? Sick! I just poorly misassumed they had classicly archaic interpretations of drugs.
Maybe you can get a security clearance, but don’t cross the border: https://www.wired.com/2007/04/canadian-psycho/
>I don’t have a clearance so someone can correct me
Why would you give an answer when by your own statement, you're not knowledgeable? What a strange mindset.
>I believe you still have to have not used drugs in the prior year.
My own experience does not agree with this speculation.
Because this is a thing I’ve heard. You can check and verify it yourself. I went to a CIA recruiting event when I was in university and this is what they told me, I assumed it was true but that’s why I caveated it. I shared it so the OP could do their own research since they seem to have even less information.
Can you clarify your own experience to help the OP?
Current use is still a problem AFAIK (not sure on weed).
That said I can confirm that a few years back a friend who had previously used/experimented with a wide variety of substances (EDM scene, psychs), had no trouble getting a clearance.
They disclosed all of it, said they weren't currently using it and wouldn't for as long as they were in the job role, passed the drug test, and that was fine.
That said, to add to the "lying is a bad idea" point: I believe some of their references were asked about if they'd ever known that friend to have a dependency + if they were aware of any current/very recent use.
OC had a point. If you take drugs in the way they are intended to be used, you can say no with a clear conscience. Whether the interviewer will accept that if they later find out you took drugs, I couldn't tell you.
The general rule is not to lie to them, because they will interview all your friends and someone somewhere will rat you out. It’s pointless to try to hide anything during these interviews, and, if you do it, then it’s a dealbreaker.