Policy on Drug UseCleared personnel are held to a higher standard than other Americans who have not assumed the privileges and obligations of a security clearance. Persons who have used drugs in the past may be approved for access to classified information. In accepting a security clearance, however, government employees and contractors also accept an obligation to remain drug free in the future. Unlike other personal problems, any confirmed use of an illegal drug is automatically a basis for appropriate administrative action, including mandatory counseling or treatment. Presidential Executive Order 12564 dated September 15, 1986, established the U.S. Government as a drug-free workplace. It declares that "persons who use illegal drugs are not suitable for Federal employment. . . . The use of illegal drugs, on or off duty, by Federal employees is inconsistent not only with the law-abiding behavior expected of all citizens, but also with the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the public." Similarly, current use of an illegal drug, while on or off duty, by a contractor with access to classified U.S. Government information is incompatible with the terms of the contractor's security clearance. Use, Abuse, and DependenceWhen categorizing extent of drug involvement, medical personnel use three terms: drug use, abuse, and dependence.1 This medical usage differs substantially from the way the terms use and abuse are used by the U.S. Government. For the government, any use at all of an illegal drug or misuse of a legal drug is drug abuse. Medical personnel generally define the terms as follows:
Drug DangersThere are two aspects of a drug's dangerousness -- the risk of addiction and the adverse health and behavioral consequences. Both differ greatly from one drug to another. There is no illegal drug that does not have serious adverse consequences. Drug dependence can develop through either psychological or physical processes.
The development of psychological or physical dependency depends, in part, on frequency of use. Increasing the frequency or dosage over time suggests tolerance and physical dependence. Indicators of SeverityThe circumstances of an individual's drug use provide indicators of the severity of a current problem or the likelihood that a past problem will recur in the future.2 Age: Early initiation of drug use is one of the best predictors of future drug abuse and dependence. Individuals whose drug use started before high school (age 14 or younger) are more vulnerable to drug problems later in life than those who started using drugs in high school or college. Initiation of drug use between age 15 and 18 is common. Drug use usually peaks during the senior year in high school or in college (age 17 to 23). Continuation of peak usage after college (or age 23) indicates potential for future problems. Initial experimentation with drugs after college (or age 23) is unusual and suggests future problems. Increased maturity and lifestyle changes that usually accompany employment, marriage, or the birth of children often lead to reduction or cessation of drug use. Continuation of the same social environment in which past drug use occurred suggests that use may continue. Solitary Drug Use: Solitary drug use is more indicative of future drug problems than is social use. Use of drugs to relax prior to a social event is more indicative of future drug problems than use at social events. Means of Acquiring Drugs: Purchase of drugs from a stranger may indicate as much about an individual's need for and dependence upon drugs as growing one's own. Buying drugs from a friend is more predictive of future problems than being given drugs by a friend. Few drug users admit to buying or selling drugs; almost everyone says they share or split. Asking what was given or shared in return for the drug may help distinguish a purchase in kind from a true gift. Motivation for Drug Use: If drugs are used to reduce stress or build self-esteem, this suggests underlying psychological problems that may persist and cause continued drug use or problems with other addictions. Rebelliousness as a motivation for past drug use does not necessarily predict future drug use, but it may indicate other antisocial behavior. Among the various possible motivations for drug use, peer pressure and a desire to be sociable are the least suggestive of future drug problems. Use of Multiple Drugs: Use of more than one drug at a time, such as both marijuana and cocaine, suggests that drug use is well advanced and may stem from underlying psychological problems. Behavior While Under the Influence of Drugs: If drug use is associated with traffic violations, pranks, shoplifting, fights, etc., it may be part of a larger pattern of antisocial behavior that is itself a security concern. PrevalenceStatistics on prevalence of drug use indicate that some experimentation with drugs, especially marijuana, cannot be considered abnormal behavior among younger Americans at this time. In 1996, 50.8% of high school seniors had used some illegal drug at some time during their life, 40.2% during the previous year, and 24.6% during the previous month.3 Why People Abuse DrugsInitial low-level involvement with drugs may result from peer pressure, drug availability or other risk factors in an individual's social or family environment. Subsequent escalation to and maintenance of higher levels of drug use is likely to result from biological, psychological or psychiatric characteristics of the individual user. In some cases, vulnerability may be inherited in the form of heightened susceptibility to a certain type of drug. In most cases, however, escalation will be caused by psychological traits or psychiatric conditions, some of which may also be inherited. Recent scientific research shows that characteristics of the individual, rather than of the drug, play a dominant role in vulnerability to drug abuse. The social and psychological maladjustment that characterizes most frequent drug abusers precedes the first drug use.4 One study that tracked children from an early age to adulthood identified predictors of future serious drug use that could be identified in children's behavior as early as age seven. 5 Although psychoactive drugs do have potent addictive properties, addiction does not follow automatically from their use. Most people who experiment with drugs or even use them regularly for a while do not become abusers or develop dependence. For psychologically healthy youths, some experimentation with drugs does not normally have adverse future consequences. For others who already have some emotional or psychological problem, drug use easily becomes part of a broad pattern of self-destructive behavior.6 Poorly adjusted individuals who do not become involved with illegal drugs will often become involved with some other non-drug addictive behavior that fills the same psychological void. A study based on a sample of 20,291 individuals drawn from the community at large found that more than half of those who met the medical criteria for diagnosis as drug abusers also suffered from one or more mental disorders at some point during their lifetime. This included 28% with anxiety disorders, 26% with mood disorders (depression), 18% with antisocial personality disorder, and 7% with schizophrenia. Some had multiple disorders. The prevalence of mental disorders varied with the drug being abused, ranging from 50% of marijuana abusers to 76% of those who abused cocaine. Almost half of the drug abusers also suffered from alcohol abuse at some point during their lifetime.7 Security ConcernsMuch evidence indicates that drug use or abuse is associated with degraded employee performance, greater absenteeism, more workplace accidents, increased health care costs, loss of trained personnel, and theft. Drug use or abuse also raises a number of specific security concerns.
Drug Abuse TreatmentDrug abuse treatment includes detoxification, management of drug dependence, and prevention of relapse. Since drug abuse is a complex disorder with multiple causes, there are multiple treatment methods that are more or less effective with, or acceptable to, different patients. Unfortunately, the present state of knowledge does not permit matching an individual patient's drug abuse history and personal characteristics with the treatment method most likely to be successful for that person. As a result, treatment programs are varied and usually multifaceted. Treatment methods are of two general types:
Many studies show that treatment is effective, but that relapse remains common and repeated treatments are often required. Successful treatment depends in part upon the amount of time spent in the treatment program. Six to 12 months of treatment is often needed. Those who remain in a program for one year are less likely to return to regular drug use than those in treatment less than one year.9 In addition to length of the treatment program, chances of relapse are influenced by the severity of the problem and by the same biological, psychological, behavioral, social and environmental risk factors that influence the onset of drug use and the escalation to drug abuse in the first place. If a person returns to a drug-taking environment, there is a strong likelihood of relapse. The longer someone has abstained from drug use, the greater the chances of continued abstinence in the future. Sources for More InformationYour doctor, local counseling service, or Employee Assistance Program will have relevant information. Recent books that may be available in your library or book store include:
For information on the Internet, go to www.yahoo.com, then click on Health, Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery, and Substance Abuse. If you are a spouse or close friend of someone who suffers from this problem, also go to Health, Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery, and then Codependency. Your telephone book will probably have phone listings for Narcotics Anonymous and various drug abuse hot lines and treatment centers. Related Topics: Standards of Personal Conduct, Ramsay Recruited Drug Users, Reporting Improper, Unreliable or Suspicious Behavior. References
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