What usually happens to a Soldier who fails urinalysis?

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 20:55:53 -0400

Of course, first answer would be subject to article 15/UCMJ, but realistically and from experience has anyone seen somebody not have any heavy punishment from failing a drug test in their unit? (National guard unit?)marijuana specially.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2020 9:08 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 21:08:12 -0400

1st recommendation: Don't smoke pot

2nd: do you really expect them to go light on your punishment? its a field grade article 15 and a general discharge but ive seen people get OTH discharges for it. The 1 guy that ive seen retained in the army tested positive by being in the same car as someone who had smoked earlier. He still got a field grade, lost rank, and his clearance was pulled.

Moral of the story is you aren't better than any of the soldiers who actually followed the rules. don't smoke and you wouldnt be in this position.

Response by SFC(P) Jonathan P. made Sep 6 at 2020 9:17 PM

SFC(P) Jonathan P. — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 21:17:48 -0400

Currently, New York is cracking down a lot of soldiers who test positive for any substances under the army drug policy. Like SSG Andrew said, it’s a Field Grade article 15. Also, the punishment depends on his record in the guard and chain of command. However, he or she more than likely will be discharged. Also, one thing that could potentially save the soldier from being kicked out is the MOS. If it is a critical demand job and only a few in the state, then exceptions can be made. Still, the backlash of such circumstances can ultimately affect any favorable actions for the forseable future.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2020 9:37 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 21:37:57 -0400

Was in the Guard. Don’t know for certain, but did hear of someone who popped for M and got a reduction of rank but wasn’t discharged.

Response by SSG Brian G. made Sep 6 at 2020 9:53 PM

SSG Brian G. — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 21:53:40 -0400

What usually happens? Persons pees hot. They are flagged immediately. The SM is offered a chance and enrolled in a drug program. They receive a Field Grade Article 15 and are busted a rank. IF the SM successfully completes the drug program and graduates then pees clear on their next whiz quiZ the flag is lifted. IF at any point after this they pee hot for illegal substances they are chaptered out with an OTH.

Of course this was back in the early 2003 era when my soldier went through this so likely things have changed since then.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2020 9:58 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 21:58:07 -0400

It is still an art 15 and reduction in grade, but if the SM successfully completes ASAP, the BN and BDE commanders can recommend retention, but it is ultimately up to the TAG.
Most are discharges.

Response by LTC Eugene Chu made Sep 6 at 2020 10:08 PM

LTC Eugene Chu — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:08:51 -0400

One caveat is if the soldier was also an SMP cadet. As an ROTC cadre member, I once knew of a dual National Guard soldier and ROTC cadet who came up positive on his school urinalysis. He was allowed to continue drilling as an enlisted member since test was not at his unit, but he got disenrolled from ROTC and lost his opportunity to commission.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2020 10:16 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:16:09 -0400

Here, I just learned this in a briefing about the drug policy/program.

BEFORE the random test names are pulled you need to report yourself to your chain of command for entry into the Army's Drug Rehab program. That's your window to correct yourself. You can't play that card if the list of test names has already been compiled.

So, if you lit up a few days before drill, that's your window to notify your chain of command, they will enroll you in the program, and your name will be excluded from FUTURE test lists. Not CURRENT ones.

If you wait till the morning formation chances are you are out of luck.

Also............. folks might already know............ prior to CV-19 the training OPTEMPO with all sorts of higher directed exercises, extended AT, ADVON, etc.... my unit pretty much did a Test at any moment we had a breather at our home garrison just so we would meet our random test numbers.

What's going to happen when things start to get back to normal. Piss tests and PT formations and ACFT tests. That's what we are looking forward to in the USAR/NG when we start meeting in person again.

Response by MSG Dan Castaneda made Sep 6 at 2020 10:22 PM

MSG Dan Castaneda — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:22:41 -0400

Doing drugs and serving our nation are contradicting to each other. You owe it to your country to be your very best. I hope it’s a one time mistake and you can recover from it. There is no greater privilege than serving our nation. Never forget that.

Response by Maj John Bell made Sep 6 at 2020 10:59 PM

Maj John Bell — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:59:22 -0400

On active duty in the Marines 1980's and 1990's... The norm for a Marine who was not a problem child:
_30 Days confinement in the Brig,
_Reduction to E-1
_forfeiture of all pay and allowances,
_Good of the Service Discharge under other than honorable circumstances

For the Problem Child:
_6 months Confinement
_Reduction to E-1
_forfeiture of all pay and allowances
_Bad Conduct Discharge.

Response by SFC Kelly Fuerhoff made Sep 6 at 2020 11:05 PM

SFC Kelly Fuerhoff — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 23:05:25 -0400

Marijuana is still federally illegal. Why the hell people are ruining their careers over it in the military, I don't understand.

I heard about a few weeks ago a CW2 who failed a UA for marijuana - I mean what the hell?

Just wait until you're out of the military...

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2020 11:21 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 23:21:27 -0400

PFC Private RallyPoint Member During my civilian career, we had random drug tests, and our phone calls and internet use were monitored. Everyone knew the rules but we had many folks fired for drug use or going to the wrong internet site. There were no second chances. Learn from this and other mistakes and do not make the same mistake twice.

Response by LTJG Richard Bruce made Sep 6 at 2020 11:43 PM

LTJG Richard Bruce — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 23:43:23 -0400

I processed many Capt's Mast (Art-15) for drug offenses. Also counseled those who tested slightly below the acceptable level. I enlisted in 1979. Drug use was rampant. Reagan and the drug war started the crack down on drug use. All petty officers and commissioned officer are federal law enforcement officers. CG cannot allow drug use by those who are supposed to enforce the law. Test results are pretty cut and dry.
The investigating officer can explain what happens to a first time violator. He/she probably has gone through numerous hearings and knows the command's attitude.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2020 11:52 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 23:52:50 -0400

Never understood how someone would allow Pot to ruin a career. Have seen it a lot in the civilian world with companies that have zero tolerance. I guess you can’t fix stupid!

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2020 11:55 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 23:55:02 -0400

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 7 at 2020 12:02 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 00:02:47 -0400

As a National Guard soldier, you stand a higher likelihood of being retained after a positive urinalysis. For some reason, non-active component commanders seem to be more forgiving to these breaches of personal discipline. Secondly, state funding dollars from the Fed are allocated based on size of the state force, so senior state leadership will more often retain you if you are salvageable. Bottom line, you will suffer all the other negative consequences, but if you put in the work to go through rehab counseling, there is a high-percentage chance that you will be retained.

Response by SPC Nancy Greene made Sep 7 at 2020 12:14 AM

SPC Nancy Greene — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 00:14:19 -0400

In Basic in 1984, my CO was relieved of Command for a positive for marijuana.

Response by CMSgt James Nolan made Sep 7 at 2020 12:29 AM

CMSgt James Nolan — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 00:29:30 -0400

My personal experience (apologies if this hurts) has been (and I mean every time), discharge.
Doesn’t mean that I stopped caring about my folks, but...it is, and has always been, a no go.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 7 at 2020 1:13 AM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 01:13:49 -0400

Lower enlisted usually get a second chance by just being reduced in rank, losing some money, and extra duty. An NCO. Pack your bags, you will likely go home immediately or very soon.

Response by TSgt David L. made Sep 7 at 2020 1:13 AM

TSgt David L. — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 01:13:50 -0400

We had an AF MSgt (E-7) who was on terminal leave. He decided to get froggy and smoke some weed. His leadership apparently suspected or was tipped to his usage and called him in for a piss test. They took a stripe and took some pay. Expensive weed!

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 7 at 2020 1:27 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 01:27:51 -0400

I am certain that you have been briefed......since joining the Army.......that the US Military is a ZERO TOLERANCE organization for drug use. It does not matter if it is legal for the State, it is still illegal for FEDERAL.

I do no know what normally happens to NG Soldiers that pop hot, but I can tell you that the Reserves and Active Duty will put boot to your ass out the door.....after they lighten up your chest of rank, lighten up your wallet of pay, and lighten up your list of benefits you get to keep.

IF you are only demoted but still retained by the Guard.....know that you have screwed the pooch in a manner that you will have to work 20 times as hard to prove your worth and gain that trust back that you decided to puff away. I mean, you violated policy, regulation, and laws. I am not sure why you would expect a light punishment coming your way.

Response by SFC William Farrell made Sep 7 at 2020 1:37 AM

SFC William Farrell — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 01:37:23 -0400

PFC Private RallyPoint Member, I had friend of mine in the reserves. He came into drill on Saturday we all went through urinalysis. Did not see him on Sunday or any meetings thereafter. I knew he smoked a lot of weed. Better to stay straight.

Response by SMSgt Bob W. made Sep 7 at 2020 1:57 AM

SMSgt Bob W. — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 01:57:55 -0400

Article 15, bust and fine. Thirty days later General Discharge.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Sep 7 at 2020 5:36 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 05:36:39 -0400

When I was in, you had 1 of 2 choices: 1) be discharged with an other than honorable, or 2) a bust in rank and seek counseling from a drug rehab specialist.

Response by 1SG Alan Boggs made Sep 7 at 2020 7:16 AM

1SG Alan Boggs — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 07:16:32 -0400

Ultimately its up to TAG but your Bn and Bde commanders have the opportunity to attempt to influence the decision and they will base what if any acton they take on NCO input. What kind of soldier are you? Have you been viewed favorably by your leaders? You will be counseled by you commander, can you convince him/her that you are salvageable?

Response by SSG Dennis R. made Sep 7 at 2020 7:57 AM

SSG Dennis R. — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 07:57:59 -0400

I was involved with the Army's Alcohol & Drug program beginning in mid-1972 --- before the AR governing the program was even printed. Urinalysis testing wasn't seen as reliable until sometime in the early 80's when the legal & technical folks decided testing results were accurate & a chain of custody was required. The Army's testing lab was on Wiesbaden Air Base - I used to arrange tours of the place - I was the senior counselor at the counseling center. I was tested twice monthly during my entire career --- came with the job.
I said then, and maintain to this day: this society worries too much about marijuana and not nearly enough about alcohol.

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Sep 7 at 2020 8:28 AM

Maj Marty Hogan — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 08:28:26 -0400

I have been the DDRP for the past four years. Air National Guard zero tolerance. Army it depends. Their numbers are not strong and sometimes they allow members to stay. Unit retention and leadership tolerance will decide. Yoir security clearance is also weighed on the decision. If you have a higher clearance, most times you will be removed because you can't maintain that clearance because of the infraction. Personally the zero tolerance is the best option in the Guard.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 7 at 2020 8:29 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 08:29:45 -0400

It would depend on what you view as a heavy punishment. I've seen this happen in both the Active duty and National Guard. For the guard and marijuana, typically, it was the soldiers having to much fun finding themselves in college parties. All of there education benefits would be ended, and any outstanding payments may need to be paid back in full. That alone could be thousands. When it comes to discharge or UCMJ, that's handled on a case by case.

The best advice I can give would be to have a conversation with your leadership about what happened and why it happened as soon as possible.

Response by CPT Carolyn Andrews made Sep 7 at 2020 8:34 AM

CPT Carolyn Andrews — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 08:34:18 -0400

The drug tester will get in contact with you and set up another urinalysis.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Sep 7 at 2020 9:17 AM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 09:17:44 -0400

Army National Guard, or Army in General. If you are notified that you are positive on a drug screen, the first thing to expect is a notification of Article 15 charges, usually at Field level, and a flag on re-enlistment. At your rank, if the Commander finds you guilty, aside for the article 15, you will be referred to the Army Substance Abuse Program, or if you are Guard and no military program with reasonable distance, then to one of the Community Programs, and the process for Administrative Discharge started. If you test positive, you will be found guilty unless you have some extraordinary extenuating circumstances that can be proved.

In the Army, at ranks under E5, this doesn't always mean the end of your career. That will depend on how good of a soldier you were up to this incident, what your chain of command thinks of you, and the recommendations from either ASAP, or the community program if you are Guard, when you complete the program. Then it is up to the Commander to decide whether to stop the discharge process and lift the re-enlistment flag or let the process complete. If you are near the end of you enlistment and want to stay, but won't have the program completed, you can request an extension to complete the program, and then hope for the best.

If you are E5 or above, or any W or O rank, I would start working on my Resume' and looking for civilian employment.

If the command decides to give you a chance, be prepared to piss in a cup on a regular basis.

Also, self enrollment in ASAP before the Article 15 can show the Command that your mind is in the right place. Doesn't always matter, but it doesn't hurt.

Response by LCpl Cody Collins made Sep 7 at 2020 9:20 AM

LCpl Cody Collins — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 09:20:42 -0400

Here’s a kicker for everyone to ponder. Even though I am no longer in the Marine Corps. I work for a company called ArcelorMittal USA, Inc. It is a steel manufacturer , i’ve worked for them for 12 years and I’ve noticed that every year my name will always come up to go get a random drug test, the first year my name came up four times in one year! after that it came up once a year every year regardless of what department I work in. So after about the eighth year I started feeling picked on, so when I reported to the Company clinic I asked the security guy that was prepping me for a urinalysis why am I always getting chosen for random drug test? I told him tibstop feeling random about three years prior, so he looked around to see if anybody else was around and he stepped in a little bit closer to where I was sitting and he said it is because you have always pass your test every year so we know you were going to pass. They try to identify all those they know who are clean because it’s easier for them and the paperwork, plus a lot of times they feel really bad about somebody failing the test because they know it will mean an end to their employment and their families will suffer. So unless someone is blatantly reported to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol they try to avoid catching anyone that might have smoked marijuana over the weekend for fun so they choose all the people they know that will pass turn the numbers in to the company and it’s business as usual. They forget the fact that people like me are working next to people like those under the influence operating heavy industrial machines and equipment and how they can injure and kill someone while under the influence. But the guy said they appreciate people like me willing to go through it and not complain which would make them actually have to go test the real people that are under the influence and probably will lose their livelihood. So all those in the military dumb enough to smoke weed you deserve what you get I have no sympathy for anyone willingly putting others in jeopardy because you want to feel good and be stoned out of your mind.

Response by SPC Andrew Murray made Sep 7 at 2020 9:43 AM

SPC Andrew Murray — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 09:43:14 -0400

Keep in mind that there are soft rules, like always be respectful of superiors, and hard rules, like never be found to have drugs in your system. The difference? A hard rule is easily measured and the tolerance for violation is generally minimal. Soft rules tend to be subjective and open to interpretation and take far more effort to nail someone for it.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Sep 7 at 2020 10:44 AM

LTC Jason Mackay — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 10:44:32 -0400

Chapter. Non-negotiable. Notice it says Commanders WILL

AR135-178 para 11-1

"d. Abuse of illegal drugs or alcohol. Illegal drug use is serious misconduct. Separation action normally will be based upon commission of a serious offense. However, relevant facts may mitigate the nature of the offense. Therefore, a single drug offense may be combined with one or more disciplinary infractions or incidents or other misconduct and processed for discharge under paragraph 11–1a or 11–1b, as appropriate.
(1) Commanders will process for separation all Soldiers who—
(a) Test positive for illegal drug use...."

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Sep 7 at 2020 11:14 AM

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 11:14:33 -0400

Yes I have and even a MSgt Who had failed, It cost him His entire career and He was forced out of the service without any retirement and lost everything He had accomplished. He is in a long list of those forced out. The first step was to be relieved of all their duties and basically be put on the goon squad doing random details cleaning etc, My experience however was with active duty people primarily. In the guard and Reserve You are still in the Military, You better follow the guidelines and it doesn't include drug use. Don't expect positive results if You are too weak to refrain from that and obey the regulations of Your branch or component of the US Armed Force, Reserve or Guard. This isn't the civilian world and You are expected to remain in top condition to respond to national or local emergencies whenever You are needed and Your head must be clear and You ready for anything that may arise.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Sep 7 at 2020 11:15 AM

SFC Casey O'Mally — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 11:15:32 -0400

The one and ONLY time I saw someone "escape" a failed UA was when they were able to prove (brought in witness statements) that they had been drugged (came up hot for MDMA) without their knowledge at a party. Even then, they still had to go to ASAP and were counseled about choosing better situations and better friends.

Response by SPC Andrew Murray made Sep 7 at 2020 11:17 AM

SPC Andrew Murray — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 11:17:40 -0400

I know when I was in if you self reported you were put into a treatment program that actually counted for promotion points as it was military education. If you popped hot you were in for a quick exit to the military.

Response by SSG Watis Ekthuvapranee made Sep 7 at 2020 11:21 AM

SSG Watis Ekthuvapranee — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 11:21:33 -0400

Have you ever been in a firefight? If you have, the last thing you want is one of your Soldiers is stoned while on patrol or on guard duty. Each person reacts differently for each engagement especially in ambush for a first-timer. When you are being pinned down by the direct fire, would you like me to laugh at you on how you curl up in a little corner, or would you rather have me do suppress fire to get you out of that corner? There is a reason why people call it a sacrifice and appreciate what we do. Not doing recreational drugs is one of the sacrifices we do, for a bad habit is a bad habit. There has been some study that showed that the long term used of marijuana slows down reaction time. This is why it is a great pain suppressant for terminally ill people.

My advice, take it like a man. Accept what is coming at you and don't ever do it again until you leave the service. "Do what you can afford to lose from your paycheck," as the saying goes.

Side note: I have never done it, not even when I am living with pain every day. But that is my choice, not to require drug to interfere with the only one thing that I can control, my cognitive function while trying to regain my emotional control.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 7 at 2020 12:17 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 12:17:16 -0400

AR 600-85 - "Soldiers who test positive for illicit drugs for the first time will be evaluated for dependency, disciplined, as appropriate, and processed for separation within 30 calendar days of the company commander receiving notification of the positive result from the ASAP in accordance with paragraph 10–6 of this regulation."
10–4. Administrative and Uniform Code of Military Justice options - this is your ART 15 but ...
c. Mandatory administrative actions include the following:
(1) Commanders must initiate suspension of favorable actions (Flags) on all Soldiers who engage in the misconduct described in paragraphs 10–6a and b in accordance with paragraph 10–6f.
(2) The commander must initiate administrative separation in accordance with paragraph 10-6. The retention/separation authority will decide if the Soldier is retained or separated.

A Soldier can be discharged, it depends on the chain of command.

Response by SPC Andrew Murray made Sep 7 at 2020 12:37 PM

SPC Andrew Murray — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 12:37:20 -0400

The fact that it's national guard actually makes me wonder, assuming you're under state authority (instead of federal) and assuming that marijuana is legal in your state if you could potentially avoid punishment. (Presumably any security clearance would be pulled)

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 7 at 2020 1:51 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 13:51:37 -0400

PFC Private RallyPoint Member While I was at my AIT post in Denver '83, on an AF Base, one of the guys got stopped at the gate and weed was found in the vehicle. When asked to inform on others for leniency, He must have said everyone in the Barracks, or named enough of us that Command decided to test all of us. We all came up positive(it's a miracle). Chain of custody was looked at and except for the pvts that admitted to smoking, everyone else was exonerated. There is a moral here.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Sep 7 at 2020 3:09 PM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 15:09:00 -0400

No place for drugs in the military, of any kind. UCMJ and chapter.

Response by PVT Mark Zehner made Sep 7 at 2020 4:16 PM

PVT Mark Zehner — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 16:16:46 -0400

Most times they try to get you help if not then most likely a general or worse discharge depending on what you test hot for!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Sep 7 at 2020 4:30 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 16:30:19 -0400

Ft Livingroom and possibly having to explain to future employers why they were chaptered out of the military.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Sep 7 at 2020 7:57 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 19:57:31 -0400

In my units, normally the BN Cdr took jurisdiction on all drug test failures. Immediate field grade Art 15 with maxed punishment, then shipped to leg land ( this was before chapters became prevalent)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 7 at 2020 8:20 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 20:20:31 -0400

Processing for elimination from the service is the response with which I am most familiar. It is the appropriate action in my opinion.

Response by PO3 Mark Johnson made Sep 8 at 2020 12:28 PM

PO3 Mark Johnson — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 12:28:40 -0400

We had several failures after a port call in Jamaica, and all but one resulted in discharge.

Response by SPC Robert Styers made Sep 8 at 2020 4:37 PM

SPC Robert Styers — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 16:37:17 -0400

We had a few guys in my unit that failed drug tests and didn’t get booted out, just received article 15s. One Of them made Sgt so if you beg forgiveness there is hope.

Response by SSG Darrell Peters made Sep 8 at 2020 8:32 PM

SSG Darrell Peters — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 20:32:14 -0400

The Military has a very good drug treatment plan. I am currently studying for Chemical Abuse Counseling Certification. The best thing anyone can do is Come clean about Alcohol or Drug Addiction to the command. They will assign the individual to a very good treatment program. If a soldier does not seek treatment for addiction and comes up hot on a drug test or is a chronic alcoholic. Treatment can be made mandatory with Non Judicial Punishment and a Bar to Re-Enlist. It doesn't matter what the substance is Marijuana, Meth, Alcohol what ever the consequences are the same. The best thing is to report the addiction and seek help. No administrative actions will be made if a soldier steps up and seeks help for a problem like drug addiction. If the soldier tries to hide it and comes up hot then that is a differernt story.

Response by SCPO Laura Ball Makolandra Corn made Sep 8 at 2020 11:26 PM

SCPO Laura Ball Makolandra Corn — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 23:26:03 -0400

I never saw that.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 9 at 2020 10:25 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 10:25:40 -0400

According to regs, a positive result in a urinalysis will result in a Soldier being flagged, ordered to drug/alcohol counseling and treatment, then chaptered out of the Army upon completion of the treatment program.

As 1SG Walter Craig has noted, in Aviation, a positive urinalysis will initiate an immediate reclass for the offending Soldier.

Response by CPO Nate S. made Sep 9 at 2020 10:26 AM

CPO Nate S. — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 10:26:46 -0400

PFC Private RallyPoint Member If you have to ask the question you know the answer!

I once saw ~20 of 30 students in a Hospital Corpsman Basic school class in the late 1970s get dismissed from school with a number of them sent to the fleet! Some were dismissed from the Navy altogether and the Senior Enlisted that was involved was Courts-Marshalled, bust and BCD'd. But, that was > 40 yr ago.

Like MSG Dan Castaneda said "...I hope it’s a one time mistake and you can recover from it. There is no greater privilege than serving our nation. Never forget that...."

Finally, ask yourself this question PFC Private RallyPoint Member if you were high in the field firing a 155 or 105 or what ever the USA has these days and some American Troops were down range a counter-insergents near the enemy and you miscalculate tragectory and were in the end responsible for killing them and not the enemy and one or two of your best friends in all the world were in the group of Americans you killed how would you feel. There is your ASS CHEWING by a Navy Chief.

GTFU anc CTBS. You skills and many lives depend on you be sober in your duties. Own up, understand your duty and remember you are a man who pride in himself and his nation should be your first order of business!!!

Response by PFC Jon Stoltzfus made Sep 9 at 2020 3:52 PM

PFC Jon Stoltzfus — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 15:52:27 -0400

First and only failed UA: flagged, 2 weeks confinement, 1 month loss of pay, loss of bonus, then general discharge, my buddy got a OTH for the same thing, pot. Good luck!

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 9 at 2020 7:59 PM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 19:59:13 -0400

If you can’t abstain from any drug, including marijuana, you have no place in the military. It shows an utter lack of discipline that is incompatible with military service.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2020 3:40 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 03:40:32 -0400

That’s usually an automatic Field Grade Article 15 and then Chapter/Separation from the Army in most units. I’ve yet to seen anyone get away with just an Article 15. That’s literally a career ender.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 10 at 2020 5:06 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 10 Oct 2020 17:06:23 -0400

(Seeing as most responses are insinuating that I have used substances or failed urinalysis, I’m making this note to assure viewers and commentators that this post is simply for educational purposes.)

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 22 at 2020 12:46 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 12:46:38 -0400

I know of E6 in the Navy that test positive right before getting retiring. The Navy just sweep it under the rug. He was the person that administered the test. Also know of a E2 that tested positive for cocaine after a port visit. He told the command it was at a party and did not know that someone put something g in his drink. They have him counseling and treatment then 6 months later just busted for cocaine again and put out the Navy.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 22 at 2020 12:48 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 12:48:09 -0400

It happens all the time. You just have to know people's back story and excuses that they use. It esp works if they are on certain kinds of meds.

Response by SGT Robert Indri made Oct 23 at 2020 11:58 AM

SGT Robert Indri — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 11:58:12 -0400

From my experience, the punishment's scales with rank. For E-5 and below, I believe it is at the company commanders discretion. E-5 and above you are shit out of luck (discharge). However, I have been out for a while and things likely have changed. Good luck!