Declining rates of illegal drug use in military services

¶ … illegal drug use among military members. This is on the decline, a result of strong prevention programs instituted by the DoD and military branches. The root causes and scope of the problem are also discussed in this paper. Lastly, the paper will discuss the different preventative and corrective actions that the DoD should institute in order to continue its success in dealing with illegal drug use among servicemen and women.

In general, drug use among our servicemen and women is relatively low. Outside of the Air Force, the statistics show that between 1-2% of servicemen and women are found to have illegal drugs in their system during routine drug tests. The Air Force figures are lower, in the 0.4-0.6% range (Gilmore, 2011). The in-service figures contrast with the military entrance processing station applicants, who recorded 3.28% positive tests. This paper will discuss the rates at which servicemen and woman test positive for illegal drugs, and will discuss some of the root causes of this drug abuse and the potential corrective actions that can be taken to curb this abuse. The latter are especially important to consider because there are other forms of drug abuse that also affect servicemen and woman, including alcohol and prescription drug addiction, both of which have increased in the years since 2001 (NIDA, 2011).

The Scope of the Problem

A 2008 survey conducted by the Department of Defense showed that servicemen and women have reduced their consumption of illegal drugs over the past few years (NIDA, 2011), but rates are still higher than the military would prefer. The survey identified a number of potential causes of the abuse that occurs. These potential causes include mental illness, stress, access to drugs and a lack of services to help prevent or correct drug use. It has been found that heavy alcohol use among servicemen and women increases post-deployment, so the intensive missions in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past several years may also contribute to drug use among the military community (Jacobson et al., 2008).

Curtailing Illegal Drug Use

In the past ten years, military branches have undertaken a number of steps to curtail illegal drug use, including stronger prevention programs. According to the 2008 Department of Defense survey, these efforts have enjoyed some success. However, there have also been some criticisms as well. The Army has often failed to process a discharge for soldiers who have recorded multiple positive urinalysis tests (Zoroya, 2009). Critics have charged that commanding officers are oriented towards keeping up numbers of combat troops for deployment and put this as a more important priority than getting help for these troops.

The first method, therefore, of curtailing use relates to the development of tougher measures for soldiers once they have failed a drug test. Prevention programs should be given a higher priority than is currently the case. With stronger prevention programs, and if commanding officers are more willing to put troops who have failed drug tests into those programs, more soldiers can see their drug use curtailed.

The second method is related to the first -- prevention programs. If stress in its various forms is a major cause of illegal drug use among soldiers, then there needs to be more awareness of the issue in the military community, and more help available to soldiers before they start using. Training for all members of the military community would allow for the creation of an informal support grid for soldiers experiencing stress. Programs that give soldiers a place to turn to when they feel like using will also help them to deal with their issues in a more effective manner.

The third method is punishment. In the Army, even soldiers who have failed numerous drug tests are not processed for possible discharge. This creates a cultural climate where drug use is effectively permitted. If the Army wishes to eliminate illegal drug use, it must show its members that illegal drug use will not be tolerated. This may conflict with other goals that the military branches have, but it is effective and should be considered as a potential course of corrective action.

Conclusion

By instituting prevention programs over the past decade, the Department of Defense has reduced illegal drug use among servicemen and woman, despite an increase in the number of combat deployments over that time. As a result of this, other substance abuse and mental health issues are becoming more prominent. In order to avoid a relapse into higher rates of illegal drug abuse in the future, the DoD should bolster its illegal drug prevention programs, and institute tougher measures for those who fail urinalysis tests. Possible discharge needs to be a threat that members of the DoD take seriously, as it is the most serious corrective measure that the DoD and its branches can institute. However, prevention plays a very important role that should not be overlooked. It is critical that prevention programs focus on the entire military community, so that all who are potentially affected by illegal drug use among military members are equipped with the information and resources to deal with this serious problem.

Works Cited:

Gilmore, G. (2011). DoD urinalysis test (drug test). About.com. Retrieved September 7, 2011 from http://usmilitary.about.com/od/theorderlyroom/l/bldrugtests2.htm

Jacobson, I.; Ryan, M.; Hooper, T.; Smith, T.; Amoroso, P.; Boyko, E.; Gackstetter, G.; Wells, T. & Bell, N. (2008). Alcohol use and alcohol-related problems before and after military combat deployment. Journal of the American Medical Association. Vol. 300 (6) 663-675.

NIDA. (2011). Substance abuse among the military, veterans and their families. National Institute of Drug Abuse. Retrieved September 7, 2011 from http://www.nida.nih.gov/tib/vet.html

Zoroya, G. (2009). Army blasted for letting drug abusers slide. USA Today. Retrieved September 7, 2011 from http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-05-20-drug_N.htm