Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 11/11/2009

Question
QUESTION: This past April my son failed the drug test for marijuana at the MEPS station. He had admitted to occasional use to his recruiter and had informed his recruiter he had last smoked a few weeks before. His recruiter seemed in quite a hurry to get him to the MEPS station and the day after he passed the urine screen at the recuiters office he was sent to MEPS where he still tested positive. He has been drug free ever since April and is trying to get into the Marines with a drug waiver. He has been told by a different recruiter (the one he previously had is no longer in recruiting) that there are no drug waivers being issued at this time due to the overabundance of recruits and to try back next April. Being a Marine is truly what he wants to do with his life and he has our support 100%. Do you know if this is truly the policy for the Marines, no drug waivers being issued until April, or has he just run into a recruiter who may not want to go the extra mile for him so to speak? I know this means extra work for the recruiter and certainly will not be as easy as someone off the street without an issue. I truly appreciate your help. He is becoming frustrated and feels as if it may never happen for him  because he made a bad choice to smoke marijuana occasionally.
Thank You so much for any information you can give me!
Janet

ANSWER: Unfortunately you've run into a lazy recruiter who only wants to take the easy cases that require no work.

Because the USMC is cutting back on drug waivers right now, many recruits are simply stopping smoking MJ and denying ever having used it.  Marijuana can stay in a person's system for up to 5 months.  So they wait 5 months and go to a different recruiter in some other town and start over, claiming they've never used MJ.  As long as they've never been arrested for drug use or hospitalized for it, they can get away with it.  It's risky, but it works.

By no means am I encouraging him to lie about it, I'm just telling you what others do in similar circumstances.

I wish him well.
Colonel H

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Colonel H,

Can a recruit truly start over in another town with a different recruiter even though they did not pass the drug test for THC at MEPS? I am confused, Does MEPS keep records of those who dont make it through the whole process for one reason or the other?  Can a recruit just start the whole process all over again as if he hadnt even tried to enlist before?  

Answer
Janet,
Yes. Recruiters are only in your town for your convenience.  It's perfectly legal to go recruiter shopping until you find one you like.  MEPS only keeps records for a very short time because of the sheer volume of people they process.  Yes, he can start all over again with a new recruiter.
Colonel H