Weed and security clearances are such a non-issue. I had a TS/SCI for years but opted to not get it renewed. Why? I like to smoke weed and don't wish to cause issues with my employment if it were ever to be discovered or found out.
Meanwhile a guy I know who still has a TS/SCI gets blackout drunk weekly.
This is the hypocrisy I do not understand. They were drinking straight whisky for an hour before they lit the joint and there is not a peep from anyone about that.
The double standard for Marijuana makes zero sense to me, but I didn't see it for what it was until I listened to a track by the Streets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZrrQoME56U
Edit: Just realized the "lyrics" displayed on that video are a pretty poor translation. Try to ignore what's on the screen because whoever wrote them had trouble understanding the accent.
> I had a TS/SCI for years but opted to not get it renewed.
Why? I like to smoke weed and don't wish to cause issues with my employment if it were ever to be discovered or found out.
You're hiding something because you fear negative repercussions if it were revealed. Isn't that problematic behavior for security clearance, regardless of what you think about marijuana or what you're hiding?
The attitude that "I only follow rules that I personally think are justified" is also problematic for security clearance. Smoking weed despite its federal illegality clearly demonstrates that attitude. It's reasonable to assume such a person would be less likely to follow burdensome security procedures they (perhaps ignorantly and stupidly) don't understand or disagree with.
> Meanwhile a guy I know who still has a TS/SCI gets blackout drunk weekly.
People like that do lose their clearance. They don't know what they did when they were blacked out; they could have done something they could be blackmailed with or they could be convinced they did without too much effort by an adversary.
Here's proof:
This clearance denial is the first one I found with ctrl-f that goes into detail:
> Applicant has a substantial history of maladaptive alcohol use that has resulted in three alcohol-related arrests and convictions within seven years, with the most recent incident occurring in January 2019. By his own admission, Applicant consumed alcohol two times per week during the week and weekends at parties, and he drank to intoxication at every party. He also acknowledged that he has gone to work hung over on many occasions. Applicant’s actions under the circumstances continue to cast doubt on his current reliability, trustworthiness, and good judgment. Eligibility is denied. CASE NO: 19-00733.h1
Here's another that doesn't mention any arrests, just plain alcohol abuse:
> Case Number: 18-00767.h1
> Alcohol
> 05/23/2019
> Applicant continued to consume alcohol after being diagnosed with alcohol dependence in 2013 and after receiving inpatient alcohol-detoxification treatment in 2016 for alcohol use disorder, moderate. He continues to drink alcohol against medical advice. Clearance is denied. CASE NO: 18-00767.h1
This is apparently the clearance guideline that forbids alcohol abuse:
> (a) The concern. Excessive alcohol consumption often leads to the exercise of questionable judgment, unreliability, failure to control impulses, and increases the risk of unauthorized disclosure of classified information due to carelessness.
> ...
> (5) Habitual or binge consumption of alcohol to the point of impaired judgment;
Weed and security clearances are such a non-issue. I had a TS/SCI for years but opted to not get it renewed. Why? I like to smoke weed and don't wish to cause issues with my employment if it were ever to be discovered or found out.
Meanwhile a guy I know who still has a TS/SCI gets blackout drunk weekly.
Go figure.