drug past

[griffin]

hey guys,
As i have posted in the past i am getting out of the military in a year and a couple of months and the question that i have is when i was 17 my parents put me in drug rehabilitation for using marijuana, now since i was a minor and i have spent six years in the military with nothing but outstanding evals, could this possibly hurt me. I know that i should just tell the truth which i plan on doing but it just seems  like i would be better off not saying anything about it if it would hurt me really bad. thanks for the feedback.
-Griffin

[junior]

griffin,

i can't stress this enough, tell the truth!!  a dept can find out anything they want about you, and probably will.  policies vary from dept to dept concerning past drug use.  as long as it was only pot, and more than a couple of years ago you should be ok.  just be sure to have a thorough explanation for your past behavior, and let them know what kind of upstanding citizen you have become! ;D  best of luck!!

junior  8)

[Charlie]

Griffin--I'm also with Junior on this. I think it would definitely be a mistake if you did not say anything about it. I think it is inevitable this information would be discovered by a prospective department you apply with. So, you'll likely have to disclose the information.  

The other issue of HOW much this will affect your chances of getting on board? That's an uncertain question simply because some departments are more forgiving than others. It depends upon WHO you apply with and what sort of policies or standards they abide by when processing prospective applicants. I am a little uncertain about your particular situation because you mention you went to rehab. Frankly, my initial thought is you must of had a serious problem with marijuana. How serious was it? That might be an issue. Most departments will likely look past the issue IF someone only, for lack of a better description, "experimented" with marijuana. Going to rehab would suggest it went beyond that.

BUT,.....in light of other issues, if you have been on the straight and narrow and, your military career has been going real well, this might not be as bad as it might seem. Plus, time is in your favor as well if it has been several years since the time you were in rehab.

What it amounts to is the overall circumstances surrounding your individual situation. I would recommend that you fully explain the circumstances surrounding that situation in your life. And, I would most definitely try to focus upon you more recent accomplishments since then.

You don't now till you try. I wish I had better advice but that's how I see it right now. Good luck.

Charlie