Drug Use Won’t Enhance Military Readiness
By Paul Chabot
September 30, 2024
With recruitment down in all branches of service and our nation’s military readiness a subject of national debate, there is temptation to believe that lowering standards to keep up with the times will be a quick fix. A recent op-ed online proposed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Test” arguing that “the Department of Defense should stop asking whether its members use marijuana, and the military should stop testing for it.” This is a reckless proposal that won’t enhance our readiness and ought to be swiftly rejected.
Let’s first appreciate what the author is suggesting, namely the encouragement of increased use of a psychoactive drug that medical and scientific studies, as well as government data, has conclusively linked with addiction, psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, suicidality, stroke, and IQ loss, among other impacts.
We already know what would happen if the military––or any industry, for that matter––were to stop testing for marijuana: marijuana use would increase. That position is accepted by individuals on both sides of the debate. However, supporters of removing marijuana from the military’s testing requirements downplay the potential consequences of this reform.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/09/30/drug_use_wont_enhance_military_readiness_1061840.html
