Negative Effects of Drug Abuse in the Military

Lots of jobs come with risk, but mixing drug abuse with military work is a lethal combination. Personnel who operate war machinery and vehicles (guns, tanks, bombs, missiles) on the ground, in the air, or on the sea, risk more than their own lives if they suffer from drug abuse. They also risk the lives of fellow soldiers and civilians, and could endanger national security and international relations as well.

History

• Drug abuse in the military has been a concern of congressional leaders since Vietnam. However, it wasn't until the summer of 1985 that the 99th Congress officially convened to review the growing drug abuse problem in the military. Before that, in 1971, drug abuse was targeted as more an ill of our country; not our military, as President Nixon established an offensive program against drugs. His efforts were built upon in 1984 by President Reagan, who developed a national effort and called it the "National Strategy for Prevention of Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking."

Statistics

• A lack of access to updated statistics for this problem--an occurrence alluded to by former Sen. Paula Hawkins, chairman of the subcommittee of Children, Family, Drugs and Alcoholism during the 1985 congressional hearing--appears to have been addressed since.

  At the beginning of the '80's, statistics showed that 27 percent of servicemen used marijuana, 9 percent were taking amphetamines and 7 percent were doing cocaine, and there were 35,514 military personnel who tested positive for drug use in 1984 alone.

  According to the Department of Defense Survey (see Resource section below for a link), alcohol-related consequences and use among servicemen declined from the 17.3 percent experienced in 1980 to 9.6 percent by 2002. Likewise, in Table 3.1 of the same report, statistics showed that the illicit drug use in the military in 1980, an astounding 36.7 percent, had declined to 10.9 percent by 2005.

Significance

• While 2005 statistics show a marked improvement in drug abuse in our military, it is thought that drug abuse may be on the climb again in the military, as evidenced by the January '09 meeting of the National Institute of Drug Abuse to specifically discuss this issue. And history reflects the negative effects drug abuse can have on military operations.

  One particular years-old catastrophe attributed to military drug abuse was a crash aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz in the '80's in which 14 were killed. Drug abuse by the flight crew, according to Hawkins, was the reason for this crash, supporting the need for continued diligence against drug abuse in the military.

Physical Effects

• Some physical effects from drug abuse are an increase in energy, restlessness, sleep (or an inability to sleep), slow movements, reaction times, or speech; appearing disoriented or confused and weight gain or loss. Depending upon the drug being used, there could also be chronic dental, sinus and throat problems that cannot be cured.

  A person suffering from physical effects of drug abuse sometimes mistakes these symptoms for other medical conditions and seeks to find legal medical remedies for the ailments. However, if the symptoms are drug-related, seeking medical assistance for other ailments will only exacerbate the situation. If the doctor erroneously prescribes legal medications meant to treat conditions that the drug abuser does not really have, this can create a dangerous drug cocktail mix in the drug abuser's life.

Effects on Job Performance

• Military personnel must be able to perform their job duties as well--if not better--than their civilian counterparts. For example, an Air Force pilot needs to be clear-headed (not suffering from disorientation) when he is flying a plane. A sniper needs to be able to react quickly.

Effect on Others

• Drug-affected military personnel who are responsible for operating weapons or machinery--or expecting to perform in a safety capacity for others--risk harming many lives, not just their own.

  For instance, suppose a soldier slated with guard duty in a combat zone were to nod off to sleep due to the effects of a drug he had been using. His life, and those who he was supposed to be protecting, would be at great risk. Likewise, the gunner on a tank might risk the lives of all the men on the ground around him if he experiences drug-use-initiated mental confusion during the heat of the battle.

Effects on National Security

• It is important for people employed in the military to protect our country and its people. Drug use can jeopardize that protection by making military personnel stationed abroad (and even at home) more at risk for divulging any classified information known to them due to their need for the drug they are using or the drug's ability to loosen their tongue (making them less guarded and unable to maintain a confidentiality).