Army raises enlistment age to 42, eases marijuana restrictions
New recruiting rules bump the age limit for recruits from 35 to 42. Easing restrictions on a single marijuana possession conviction “accounts for changes in society,” one expert said.
Patty Nieberg
Published Mar 24, 2026 4:18 PM EDT
A major update to Army recruiting regulations this week raises the maximum age a recruit can join to 42, and removes a barrier to joining for recruits with a single legal conviction for marijuana or drug paraphernalia possession.
The Army’s previous limit was 35, though exceptions are occasionally made. The higher age limit brings the Army in line with other services’ limits of 41 in the Navy and 42 in the Air Force and Space Force, Kate Kuzminski, who studies military recruiting for the Center for a New American Security, told Task & Purpose.
Army recruiting officials have noted in recent years that the average age of recruits is increasing, with officials telling reporters in 2024 that the average recruit was 22 years, 4 months, and that it was still “going up.”
Kuzminski said the change has positives and negatives. According to a report she authored for the RAND Corporation, many older recruits scored higher on enlistment qualification tests than recruits who joined before 20. Those older recruits were also more likely to reenlist and be promoted than their younger peers.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-enlistment-age-marijuana-waiver/
