Armed Forces

Throughout history, soldiers in many armies have used drugs. Evidence suggests that numerous armies have even provided drugs to their soldiers during times of war. Soldiers on both sides of the American Revolutionary War, for example, routinely received rum as part of their rations. During the American Civil War, soldiers' rations included a mixture of opium and alcohol to help control dysentery and relax the troops before a battle. Prussian soldiers during the Wars of German Unification and English soldiers during World War I were provided cocaine.

During World War II, the Japanese government contracted with pharmaceutical companies to produce methamphetamine for their soldiers, and the U.S. military issued amphetamine tablets to bomber crews and jungle fighters. Although warriors have used drugs for centuries with permission of their leaders, the armed forces now have a much different approach toward drugs.

The U.S. armed forces have a zero tolerance policy for use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. The policy has changed many times over the past 40 years. The evolution progressed from solely identifying servicemen for rehabilitation to the current zero tolerance policy. The U.S. armed forces' strict drug policy utilizes pre-employment drug testing and random drug testing to ensure military personnel adhere to the guidelines. The drugs tested through urinalysis are updated as new trends emerge. Each branch of the armed forces interprets the drug policy differently, holding those in higher positions accountable for immediate discharge.

The drug policy has changed dramatically in recent decades. The first major changes took place during the 1970s. The need for drug policy reform heightened as servicemen returned from Vietnam. Urinalysis was introduced as a tool for screening military personnel for rehabilitation. The focus at this time was on screening and rehabilitation rather than deterrence. Attention shifted in the 1980s when a jet crashed on the U.S.S. Nimitz, a Navy aircraft carrier. This caused the devastating loss of 14 lives and millions of dollars in destruction. Marijuana was cited as a contributing factor to the crash, thus spurring a more stringent approach to drug policy.

[Page 73]The crash led to changes in policy that evolved into the current guidelines. These years saw the use of drug screening as part of the hiring process for military personnel as well as random drug testing. The armed forces focused much of their attention on prevention and education, and only discharged personnel after failed rehabilitation attempts. During the late 1980s the drug policy was found to be successful in lowering the reported prevalence of drug use through worldwide surveys, which were backed up by objective testing data. Around 1986, the scope of attention was broadened to include health and lifestyle. Smoking prevention and cessation, physical fitness, nutrition, stress management, and hypertension were added to the drug and alcohol prevention programs. The focus remained on prevention, education, and deterrence throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s. Changes made during these years focused on screening for and education about new drugs as they emerged into society.

The armed forces drug policy focuses on four areas: assessment, deterrence and detection, treatment and rehabilitation, and education and training. The armed forces continually assess data from worldwide surveys and results from urine analysis. Random drug testing and the use of breathalyzers are used to deter and detect drug and alcohol abuse. Background checks and drug tests are conducted on all military and civilian personnel prior to being hired. The Department of Defense runs a rehabilitation program that offers educational seminars, inpatient care, and aftercare. If military personnel are found to have abused drugs they are either sent to a rehabilitation program or discharged. All armed forces personnel are given education and training on drug and alcohol abuse at enlistment, at permanent change-of-station moves, during other professional training, and after a drug or alcohol related occurrence.

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