Drug Free Background?

[Steven Bourne]

The police agency I'm applying for requests a drug-free background. One of the questions on the application is "Have you Ever ilegally used any of the following drugs?" It then lists about 15 different drugs. Because it lists the drugs and asks for a date, I imagine they don't truely require you to be completely drug-free, since almost everyone has done marijuana at some point.

Here's my problem. I said yes to Marijuana and put down the date 1992. Around 10 years ago in school I was with some friends who purchased some pot. They were smoking it behind the school and kept saying it didn't seem like pot, and was probably oregano. Under peer prfessure, I inhaled it one time for about 10-15 secs.

Now, here's where it gets tricky. I don't know if it was marijuana or not. My friends didn't know. I didn't experience any euphoria and neither did my friends. I didn't inhale it more than once. I remember them saying they thought they had been ripped off.

I've gone ahead and answered yes to the question of illegal drug use, even though I don't really believe I've ever smoked marijuana. Where it asks you to explain I answered with "Once inhaled a substance that was possibly marijuana, unsure if it was."

Is this answer going to just look stupid on my application? A guy who doesn't know if he's done drugs or not? At the same time, I don't want to fail the polygraph by answering "yes" to having used drugs, even though I don't really believe I have. I am putting down yes to cover myself. But maybe I've just screwed myself by thinking too much about it. I just want to make sure I answer the question adequately so as to pass the polygraph.

Finally, I didn't want to answer that I simply did pot one time because I'm worried that if I don't provide an explanation, it will register as deciet since I don't really believe the substance I smoked was marijuana.

Thanks for any help.

[Guest form AB]

The key is; at the time you believed the substance to be marijuana. It is not important whether it was marijuana or not, the same goes for persons prosecuted for buying pot when it turned out to be another substance. The original intent is what's important. I would certainly not bring up the whole oregano thing, it sounds too much like a story.

[George Maschke]

Steven,

You are right to be concerned about the polygraph, but being completely honest about your possible past drug use is no guarantee that you will pass. Polygraph operators wrongly brand many honest law enforcement applicants as liars.

Polygraph "testing" has no scientific basis whatsoever. Moreover, it has an inherent bias against the truthful, because the more honestly one answers the so-called "control" questions, and as a consequence experiences less stress when answering them, the more likely one is to fail.

Before you sit for a polygraph examination, stop by AntiPolygraph.org and download our free e-book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector. I think you'll find it to be a real eye-opener. Chapters 3 & 4 will be of special interest.

[guest]

Do they stipulate a drug free background for X number of years prior to engagment or a drug free background period?

I can't see them requesting a 100% drug free background "period" from their applicants??? If that was the case we would not have any cops cruising the streets at all!! LOL.