security clearance question

To join the NSA ... it says on their site you have to have refrained from all illegal drug use for a minimum of one (1) year. They can test your hair follicles and give you lie detector tests to prove it.

I once considered joining, at the time I smoked non-tobacco products. I am almost clean enough to join now ... although any juicy information, I wouldn't have the clearance to share with all of you!

I don't care what you choose to do with your life, be safe and responsible, as well as keeping those around you safe too. Some of that stuff can really mess people up, especially without a strong mind to handle it ... I think the green herb is demonized in our society, when alcohol is much worse ... especially if you smoke with a vaporizor, which negates all the bad things people say that make it worse than cigarettes. I think the law should be 28 and up though ... alcohol maybe 30 and up. It really isn't good for a college student and their studies!

Basically, quit for I would say at least 12-14 months if it is something you need to worry about, check the sites of potential employers to make sure, or find something you love to do that doesn't involve such regulations. Doing what you love is more important than the money you make anyway.

Edit to remove post. I believe talk of this might violate T&C. What does it have to do with UFOs.

[edit on 7/31/2007 by schuyler]

Originally posted by uberarcanist

Originally posted by Nerdling
Well, firstly let's not circumvent the censors again.

A lot of people have done drugs before clearances and they get through it fine. The only stickler is whether you have a police record regarding drugs. For many companies or organisations that is a sticky point and they'll have to really examine you.

But everything is up for negotiation so long as you do well in school and you prove yourself to be worthy of trust.

Oh, no, it's not that simple. You gotta be clean if you really want it. The government can order you to go to a drug test.

Speaking as a Personnel Security Officer for the government I assure you that there is no negotiation..... You indicate that you plan on stopping before your eighteen. Plan on stopping much sooner.

In essence what we are looking for is the level of risk you pose. In other words, is ther reasonable cause to believe that you would exhibit bahavior that would reflect negatively on your reliability and judgement . Your past history is a clue that we use to determine that risk.

As far as I know it's still an illegal act to consume drugs. Your comments suggest that it's ok to break the law so long as you quit before the age of majority. Not a sign of good judgement on your part.

Good luck!

[edit on 31-7-2007 by palg1]

If you lie about what you have done in the past the military will find out about it. When I was in the AF i had to get a Top Secert clearance for what I was working on and what I did. Please don’t ask because icannot tell I signed a NDA agreement and I stick to it. But all in all they did do a background search and talked to my family and a list of my friends at home. It turns out they asked me why I bit my 1st grade teacher when I was 5. yes theyt found that out. I totally forgot about that until they mentioned it. And I had to explain my actions when I was 5.

Now my friend heis currently in the Marines is going for a Yankee White clearance. i actually looked this up and WOW!!! it requires a Single Scope Background Investigation so he told me to expect a visit.



~Ghost~

Originally posted by Wtfisthat
i mean like a scientific carrer if thats not military but i am underage if that would make any difference and i plan on stopping well before i turn 18

Mate you are doing drugs and still not even 18 (not that there is a age limit I might add), I wouldn't worry about clearance I would worry about how long I will live and what physical and mental problems may head my way.

The only clearance I would give you is to go outside and see if it is raining.

First off end the illegal use of whatever you are doing, it won't help you one bit if you ever want to get a job where you can work on stuff that you want to know about. You posted this in the UFO section so i'm going to assume that you want to work on stuff like that one day.

You can get a clearance with prior drug usage, what level is up to the people who investigate you, but you will be limited to where you can work and i'll cast doubt on getting anything higher then Secret if you are not in the military. This is my opinion since I was a security manager for a few years.

The guy who said he knows a guy with a felony drug conviction who has a TS is something I cannot believe. You get convicted of a felony and you lose that clearance and most likely your job, if you are military forget about reenlisting. They ask you about any felony charges or convictions when you fill out your questionnaire, SF86. There is no time limit set on this question so it goes back to the day you were born.

Most people here who know anything have said to quit now. I'm saying that you should have quit yesterday and should keep your nose in the books and learn about everything you can that will help you get the job you want. I always say join the military, hopefully the USAF, and get a job in Intel or another career that will require a TS. Getting that clearance will open many doors for you, but the door you already have walked through goes nowhere. I hope you get what i'm trying to say.

Originally posted by Nerdling
A lot of people have done drugs before clearances and they get through it fine. The only stickler is whether you have a police record regarding drugs. For many companies or organisations that is a sticky point and they'll have to really examine you.

This. What they are looking for are basically:

1) Did it cause you any issues? (do you have any sort of record)
2) Are you doing them now, or really, within the last 5-7 years?
3) Did you ever end up in some sort of financial tight over it?
4) Are you going to lie about it?

It can actually be risky to say you've never, ever done any pot. Because that's one of those things they'll go looking for if you do. That's fine if you really never, ever did. But if you say that to make them happy, and they find out otherwise, that's a bad thing.

Depending on the clearance level, they may dig through your life with a steam shovel, so don't bother lying. If you really think you might need a lifestyle, SBI or EBI one day, you might want to consider saying 'goodbye' to Mr Bong now and get it over with.

Once you get Mr Clearance, you can expect random testing, and depending on where you work and what you do, there's another program where they see if you're going to bars a bit too often, or becoming intoxicated in public.

Oh, and if you like going to other countries for vacations, you'll LOVE what you have to do there.

edit: You can post to places like ATS - but you'd better be careful about what you say. Some of us got in trouble back in 2004 on another forum.

[edit on 31-7-2007 by Tom Bedlam]

Spent my entire career in black projects and had five different clearances. Unless you have drug use on file somewhere, just say no. I've never even tried it-- unless you've used prescription drugs with a prescription in your name. Better to go through the process of the background investigation than to have it end with your admission of " just a few times". The B-2 program remained behind schedule because of Northrup's inability to hire clean applicants. Believe me--a high tech company with only, people that have never done drugs, is nearly impossible, and is a company with too little imagination.

Ya know what's really ironic about this whole issue. . .

As long as you put up a good front & became a " professional " user that has the ability of functioning properly throughout the day you could drink a 5th or more of whisky, smoke two packs of cigarettes & drink a half a pot of coffee every day of your life and you would probably pass with flying colors and be promoted numerous times throughout your lucrative career. . .

2PacSade-

Well it sounds like you are young. And it sounds like you are wanting to make a career decision at a fairly early age.

That's good in a sense, as far as clearances go. The fact that you are young means that you don't have an extensive background for them to sift through; you haven't had time to build one up yet.

Its also bad in a sense. They have less to look through, so they can spend more time sifting through what little they do have.

Don't expect a high level security clearance at a very young age, btw.

Those here who have advised you to stop the drug use and concentrate on your studies are giving you the best advice you will get. Quit yesterday. Even if you decide that your career will never require a security clearance, the health and safety benefits from a clean lifestyle will serve you well for many years.

Good luck.

Originally posted by Wtfisthat
so ive done some drugs would that F*ck me over for security clearance in about 10 years? just wondering cause it would suck if i couldnt because of that

Coming from someone with a security clearance it depends on a number of factors. The type of drugs, any charges, and convictions if applicable. If your completely honest and do not try to hide anything, that will give you the best chance. One lie, One falsehood no matter how minor even if it was over just a joint or prescription meds would be worse than if you told them you snorted a line of coke. Any lies mean no clearance period.

[edit on 1/8/07 by MikeboydUS]

thank you for all your help and i do try in school as much as i can and i have no record thank god the only dealings i had was i was caught with a run away that i didnt even know got in no trouble for that tho