Pot Use Among Soldiers in Colorado, Washington Is Down, Study Shows
Fewer soldiers are testing positive for marijuana in two states where recreational use of the drug is legal, an Army study of the issue obtained by The Gazette has found.
The change in Washington and Colorado, where legal pot is available near large Army bases, is small. But it’s the reverse of what military leaders said would happen in Colorado Springs with marijuana legalization.
“With one minor exception, the data is trending downwards, though it remains relatively flat and the changes are statistically insignificant,” Army spokesman Lt. Col. Justin Platt wrote in an email from the Pentagon.
In Colorado, the rate of positive drugs tests for marijuana dropped to .47 percent in the fiscal year that ended in Oct. 1. That is down from .79 percent in the same time period two years earlier, before recreational pot was legal. The number of positive marijuana tests at Fort Carson dropped to 422 from 725 over that span.
Army brass said the drop is more of a sign of how the Army is handling legal pot than soldiers being suddenly less likely to smoke marijuana.
“That’s a sign of good leadership,” said Army Gen. Chuck Jacoby, the top-ranking soldier in the Pikes Peak region who stepped down as commander of U.S. Northern Command on Dec. 15.
The same downward trend was evident at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Tacoma, Wash. — the largest Army base in a state that also legalized recreational marijuana. There, the rate of positive drug tests for marijuana dropped over two years to .46 percent from .54 percent — a reduction of 131 positive tests.
While civilians took up the newly legal vice in Washington and Colorado, the Defense Department has redoubled efforts to get pot out of the ranks. Signs at the gates of military bases in the Pikes Peak region emphasize that marijuana possession remains a federal crime and soldiers caught smoking grass face harsh punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
“Use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with Army values and not tolerated in our ranks,” Platt wrote. “Importantly, the vast majority of our soldiers are drug free, and are serving our country honorably, upholding the values the Army expects and our nation demands.”
A court-martial conviction for pot use can bring up to two years behind bars.
Military leaders including Fort Carson boss Maj. Gen Paul LaCamera leaned on local officials to keep recreational marijuana sales away from bases, leading to recreational sales bans in Colorado Springs, Fountain and other communities.
“It goes against good order and discipline,” LaCamera said.
But legal weed is easy to obtain, with retailers as handy as Manitou Springs and Pueblo.
Fort Carson’s top enlisted soldier, Command Sgt. Maj. David Clark, said junior leaders across the post — sergeants and lieutenants — have heard stories about the drug-riddled Army that came home from the Vietnam War and have worked to keep drugs out of the ranks.
Jacoby joined the Army in the 1970s and says the services aren’t willing to return to the dark days of heavy drug use in uniform. He supports local laws, he said, but that stops at the gates of the base.
“It would be a huge mistake for us to change our standards and to allow for that to be part of soldiering again,” Jacoby said. “And as a parent, I’m horrified by the idea, the accessibility and having that pushed on my sons. It’s on me to make sure that we have those conversations.”
Another fear for Jacoby, whose command reached into Mexico where warring drug factions have threatened to destabilize society, is that legal pot in the U.S. sends a bad message to allies who joined America’s war on drugs.
“I work with Mexico right now but I’ve had extensive experience throughout Latin America to include Colombia, other countries inCentral America,” Jacoby said. “We have twisted their arms back and pushed them and compelled them to support our counter-drug efforts. And they are astounded by what they see as a trend towards legalization.”
Soldiers in Washington and Colorado, though, are apparently shunning legal pot. Clark said his soldiers, hardened by more than a decade of war, understand that being in uniform means adhering to a higher standard than civilians.
“As trusted professionals is that the right thing to do?” Clark said. “We owe our nation a force they can depend on.”
Source: Military.com
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