Expert: Aaron Shifferly - 1/25/2010

Question
Good afternoon Mr. Shifferly,

My 23 year old son has made a decision to enlist in the Army. He has a focused goal on eventually joining the Army Rangers segment. When he was 20 he made a very poor decision and was ticketed for the finding of marijuana at a misdemeanor level. He learned a hard lesson and has not revisited that scenario since. Are there any bans currently still in place which would prevent him from being accepted into the army? Do you anticipate that this will change? Thank you in advance for any information you could share with us. Sincerely, Mary


Answer
He would most likely have to get a 'moral waiver' for marijuana possession, but this should not be a big deal. Fact is that most people in the military today have used marijuana one time or another and, as long as the behavior isnt repeated on duty, it is generally overlooked as the teenage issue it usually is.  He just needs to be honest about it on his paperwork so that he won't be accused of lying down the road.