Drug Use in the Armed Forces

Defending the Rights of Service Members Charged with Drug Use

The Department of Defense takes a tough stance against drug use among service members, based on several reasons. Not only is it against the law, but it also poses a threat to proper order and discipline among the enlisted ranks. In addition, it places the health and safety of the individual service member at risk, both in terms of the physical damage and possibility of overdose and in respect to the emotional and mental ravages of drug abuse.

Despite the efforts of the military to crack down on drug abuse throughout the ranks, the problem is steadily becoming more serious. For example, a 2012 report from the Institute of Medicine found that prescription drug abuse among service members is up 550 percent over the past decade, to the point where more than one in ten active duty personnel now engage in such abuse.

Getting the Defense You Need from McCormack & McCormack

Unfortunately, the approach taken by command in response to drug use is typically one of punishment rather than rehabilitation. Most of the individuals who are caught using drugs while serving in the military are not hardened criminals; many of them are men and women who suffer from addictions which began when they were looking for a way to relieve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or became hooked on their pain medications after suffering a serious injury.

Others are caught with drugs after they succumbed to peer pressure by using drugs along with their fellow troops. Whatever the circumstances of the situation, these individuals often end up being discharged from the Armed Forces and in some cases are even convicted at court-martial, confined and forced to face a future of living with a criminal record.

Reach out to our military criminal defense attorney today for legal help.

Contact a Military Drug Crime Lawyer

Whether you were caught using prescription painkillers, synthetic drugs such as Spice, K2 or bath salts, or traditional street drugs such as marijuana, heroin or cocaine, you can find help by contacting us at McCormack & McCormack. Our military drug crimes lawyer have more than four decades of experience, and we know how to get results in fighting for our clients.

It may be possible to beat the charges by demonstrating that your constitutional rights were violated in the course of the investigation. In some cases, the goal is to reduce the penalties, such as by obtaining an administrative discharge rather than a punitive discharge.

Take the first step now so that we can review the situation and begin working on a strategy for you.