The Air Force has granted more than three-times as many waivers for enlistment to recruits that test positive for cannabis than they anticipated when first launching an initiative to give people who consumed marijuana another chance to join the service.
Last year, the military announced a change in policy that authorized it to give waivers to recruits if they test positive for THC-metabolites at their initial drug testing and to give them 90 days to retest. Air Force candidates with a positive drug test were previously automatically excluded from the service.
Military.com reported that the branch issued 165 waivers in the first year after the waivers were made available. This is more than three times the 50 waivers that it had predicted to grant each year. This policy applies to both the Air Force as well as the Space Force.
In just three months from September 30th to December 31st of last year, had already given the second chance to 43 applicants .
The Air Force has missed its recruitment target for the first since 1999. Gen. Christopher Amrhein said that it could have been worse had they not instituted the marijuana policy waiver.
Amrhein stated that drug use has no place at all in the Air and Space Forces. But allowing for a second screening in the recruitment process is the right decision. This policy change enabled us to recruit approximately 165 more high-quality airmen for FY23.
According to Military.com, the number of states that have legalized cannabis and its derivatives is expected rise.
Waivers are not available to all recruits. The pilot program is only open to those who pass their tests with high scores, do not have any convictions in their past, and meet the enlistment requirements. It will last until September 2024.
The Air Force will then decide if the policy is permanent. The Air Force would then be aligned with the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, which have similar cannabis policies.
This waiver program is a significant development for the Air Force, in particular. In 2019, , the branch implemented a policy that prohibited service members from consuming CBD, regardless of whether it was non-intoxicating and therefore legal according to the 2018 Farm Bill.
In 2021 , a Massachusetts base of The Air Force issued a notice stating that members could not even bring hemp-infused shampoos, lip balms or lotions to the base. The notice stated that “even if you are using it for your pet, this is still illegal.”
In 2018, officials from the division said that they want their members to be extra cautious when eating “grandma’s miracle sticky buns, which may contain marijuana.
In the last few years, especially since hemp has been legalized, several military branches have informed their ranks and file about their rules regarding cannabis.
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The Department of Defense (DOD), in February, said that the active ingredient of marijuana delta-9 THC was the most common substance to appear on positive drug test results for active duty service members. Delta-8 THC is the second most prevalent, and is found in hemp-derived products, even in states that still prohibit marijuana.
DOD has been paying particular attention to the cannabis policy in light of the recent state-level legalization movements.
DOD issued a warning last year that CBD-infused products such as hand sanitizer or hemp granola may compromise “military preparedness” , and are therefore off limits.
The U.S. Military’s first attempt to communicate the ban on cannabis came in 2019 in the form a fake news conference where officials answered scripted questions about hypotheticals such as washing cats with CBD shampoo and eating burritos infused with cannabis. This was done around the same time as DOD codified their rules for the non-intoxicating cannabis cannabinoid.
In 2018, the Navy issued a notice to its ranks that they are prohibited from using CBD or hemp products , regardless of their legality. In 2020, it published an updated that explained why it made the rule change.
The Naval War College went so far as warning Sailors and Marines of new hemp products available on the market. It issued a notice earlier in the year which said that members could drink a Rockstar energy drink owned by Pepsi that contains hemp seed oils.
This branch of the military does allow waivers to recruits who have tested positive for THC, if no other issues are outstanding. Marine Corps allows temporary waivers to THC-positive applicants.
The Coast Guard has said that sailors cannot use marijuana, or visit state-legal cannabis dispensaries.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued guidance in 2019 to federal agency drug coordinators that highlighted concerns over THC showing up in CBD products and leading to failed drug tests. In 2020, the agency released an updated warning after more states legalized marijuana.
The RAND Corporation, a government-funded organization that released a report in 2021 on U.S. Army recruits, concluded that previous cannabis use had comparatively little impact on overall performance.
The House also approved a measure that outlines the parameters of the trials. These would include active duty servicemen with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic anxiety disorder (PTSD). Defense Health Agency will need to submit a report with its findings to Congress.
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Photo by Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
The post Air Force Grants Triple the Number of Marijuana Restrictions It Expected in First Year of Recruitment Policy Change first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
