Is The British Army Losing A Whole Battalion To Drugs Every Year?

"The Army is dismissing the equivalent of almost a battalion of soldiers every year for taking drugs, a report says.

The Royal United Services Institute said the number of positive tests for illegal drugs, like ecstasy and heroin, rose from 517 in 2003 to 769 last year.

Positive tests for coc aine use rose four-fold during the same period. A dishonourable discharge is likely after a positive test for illegal drug use.

The MoD said drug abuse was less common among forces personnel than civilians."



news.bbc.co.uk...

Drug taking seems to be an ever growing issue for the British army.
I have read that coc aine seems to have become the 'drug of choice' amongst
British service personnel.
Is this all due to the stress of modern combat and warfare?



Related links:

news.bbc.co.uk...
news.bbc.co.uk...
news.bbc.co.uk...
news.bbc.co.uk...





[edit on 15-12-2007 by pmexplorer]

I have been looking in to this a little, and what seems to be a major factor is that they are recruiting more and more young men and women from harder areas, And them areas tend to be rife with drugs anyway.

Maybe they need to look in to ways of helping these kids adjust, for many of them Drugs has been an issue there whole life.. Not just once they step in to the Army,

I'm sure also that the impending Wars they are always facing has to be a major pressure,
for some there just out of training and right in to a war zone,

Sadly many we here who have been killed are pretty young,

A big pressure indeed,

The reason coc aine is so prevalent in the military is because it becomes undetectable in the urine after 48 to 72 hours.

There was a report two decades ago in American news media stating a huge surge in coc aine use by the American military when mandatory drug testing policies went into effect. Cannabis metabolites (the by product of THC being used up in the system, not the drug itself) is detectable from two weeks to two months, depending on how heavy the use is and how fast a persons metaobolism is. 90% of an '___' dose vanishes from a users system the first time they urinate after ingestion. I'm not sure the time frame on other substances.

The US military gives methamphetmine to pilots, last time that was an issue in the news an American pilot launched missiles and murdered four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. The pilot said if they did not take the drugs they were not allowed to fly.

I've known a number of discharged American soldiers who failed their urine tests on purpose to get out of the military. How many brits who are supposed to ship to Iraq or Afghanistan would do the same?

Canada isn't kicking people out of the military for a failed urine test, they just don't send them to Afghanistan where the herb grows for miles and the poppy production has increased 33% year over year since Bush invaded.

I remember the first time CDT (Compulsory Drug Testing) came to our camp. They literally drive in put their own men on the gates and order all soldiers of all ranks into the gym immediately. You have to pee into 2 beakers in front of someone. (They literally have a witness in a fluroscent vest in the toilets). After that all 700+ troops are confined to their rooms.

I was shocked at the first wave of abusers were called out. The list seemed to go on forever. About 12 men were called out. They were dismissed within days some quite happy about it others distraught.

*snip*

I remember just before i left one of the lads boasting about how much money he makes from dealing drugs on camp. He made 3 times more than his salary. I remember every friday night watching people knock at his door people of all different ranks wanting his "Stuff".

90% of soldiers are decent people who maybe meddled as a youngster but wont even smoke a cigarette now. Sadly we are let down by the minority who abuse their positions

Mod Edit: Terms & Conditions Of Use – Please Review This Link.
Please, no personal drug use comments (Even if in the past)

[edit on 12/16/07 by FredT]

I have a mate who wanted out of the army. So what did he do? He smoked weed knowing full well he'd get thrown out. He's got mates who've done exactly the same thing. The quickest way out of the army is to fail the drug test and at present a lot of young soldiers want out.

edit.

He also told me when he went to enroll he told the recruitment officer he smoked dope. The recruitment officer told him to stay clean and come back in three months. He did and he enrolled. He even went to Iraq and that's where he failed the test on purpose.



[edit on 16uSunday07/27/20 by paul76]

The taking of drugs to force ejection from the armed forces is certainly an interesting theory and one I hadn't really considered.
The figures however, I would say do suggest that the problem is more likely to include those who are using the drugs for recreational use as I would imagine
that if there was a major problem of soldiers using drugs to get themselves thrown out that the media would also have picked up on this.

What if those men and women went to war, fought, watched their friends died; I'm sure they'd be traumatized, and while I'm not sure if the British have a way to help their soldiers out when they return, maybe turning to drugs to "make it go away" is why so many are failing their tests. Look at the Vietnam vets, no one was there to help them; look at the vets coming back from Iraq, no one is helping them, well they're starting to try but its a long process and the military is pretty much ignoring it and people are turning to drugs to make their pain go away.

Originally posted by Legalizer
The US military gives methamphetmine to pilots, last time that was an issue in the news an American pilot launched missiles and murdered four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. The pilot said if they did not take the drugs they were not allowed to fly.

CYOA anyone? I mean, really, come on...

The only reference I could find to this was an AOL video that pictured a single source for this guy's allegation and then a whole bunch of unrelated actions by not only the USAF in Afghanistan, but also the USMC in Iraq. Really sloppy, really cheap and really, really poor journalism.

However, googling US Air Force amphetamine did give me this

findarticles.com...

An officer here has been dismissed from the Air Force and will serve four months confinement after being convicted of several drug-related crimes in a general court-martial.

and this

findarticles.com...

Charges were initially brought against Parsons after he tested positive for methamphetamine use during a unit urinalysis sweep

edit:

A little more checking found me this

www.commondreams.org...

"When fatigue could be expected to degrade air crew performance, they are given Dexedrine in 10 mg doses," air force spokeswoman Betty-Anne Mauger told The Star.

Not a chemist, so someone else will have to fill in the blanks, but when I take my antibiotics is hundreds of milligrams, what will the mind-altering affects of 10 mg of Dextroamphetamine be?

I've had a lifelong association with cortisone (in 50mg and higher doses) and I don't remember having serious lapses of judgement, but I was having slight difficulty breathing at the time, which could account for my inattention...

Entitled "Informed Consent For Operational Use of Dexedrine," it begins by saying: "It has been explained to me and I understand that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of Dexedrine to manage fatigue ... (and) I further understand that the decision to take this medication is mine alone."

Air force insiders say the pilots really do not have a choice in taking the drug. The form states that "should I choose not to take it under circumstances where its use appears indicated ... my commander, upon advice of the flight surgeon, may determine whether or not I should be considered unfit to fly a given mission."

Now there's a double-edged sword (where's Joseph Heller when you need him?). It's your choice not to take the drug, but then we may decide you don't have the stamina to fly the mission...

[edit on 19-12-2007 by HowlrunnerIV]

When I was in the Marines, there was always someone in my unit who would smoke pot to get discharged. They may face a penalty like a short amount of time in the Brig, making big rocks into little rocks, reduced pay and a dishonorable discharge, but it got them out. I would imagine with the war lingering, it is much more common now. I bet there is an increased number of "homosexuals" turning up now as well. At the time, if you confessed to being gay, you would get discharged as well. I am not sure if the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is still in effect or not.