Generally, the sale of controlled substances is viewed more seriously than simple possession or personal use.

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Any sale of an illegal drug may well disqualify you from employment with a law enforcement agency. Moreover, your polygrapher will no doubt have a difficult time believing that you sold marijuana but never used it. The likely outcome is that you'll be accused of deception on the drug use question and disqualified.

Ex Member wrote on Oct 6^th, 2015 at 5:42am:


I can only speak for the DOD side, but those I know on the LE side say it shouldn't be a show stopper.

Thanks Pailryder.....

JCavvvv97, according to Aunty's Law, we cannot advocate you lying on this upcoming polygraph examination. Moreover, as an 18 year old young adult, establishing your career on a foundation of honesty will foster a worthy character as you grow older and wiser. It's your personal call, one that nobody else can make for you.

An alternative would be to write a letter to the hiring manager (or chief if that's the case) being totally forthcoming with what's bothering you. Simultaneously you can make your case that you are an adult now and if given a chance you will not disappoint. 

If this demonstration of honor is not recognized by this department, then they are not worthy of you and you should keep hunting until you find an organization which embraces your honesty and character. 

Good luck!

Ark

Depends on the department.  Some have true zero tolerance standards, but mostly its the chief's call considered on a case by case basis.  There is really no way to know for sure.

JCavvvv97,
I was kind of waiting for someone else to chime in because I have no experience in this area. I would probably be more suspicious of the notion that you had a gram to dispense with but never tried it yourself. That's kind of like Bill Clinton's I didn't inhale story. However, I cannot see how a gram of cannabis would be a show stopper for a dispatcher job. A risk of a stressed polygraph due to a gram, seems not prudent to me.

Also my young friend, what I do have experience with is recognizing "minimization" in others. I suspect the reality may have been more indulgent (if your teenage years were anything like mine).

quickfix, can you give this young person some advice? Do 21st Century Police Depts really require dispatchers who have never pressed a bong to their lips as teeners?

Hi,

I was wondering if someone can help me? I am currently involved in the hiring process with my local police department for a 911 operator/dispatch position... I have applied, filled out my background investigation, had a drug test, physical exam, psych evaluation, and am waiting to complete my polygraph.

I have never done anything bad to be revealed on my polygraph except one thing.. I sold approx. 1 gram of marijuana to my close friend right before I turned 16. I personally have never used marijuana, let alone any other drug in my life and I only did this one time... I am now 18. Will my stupid action back when I was 15 end up disqualifying me? Since that day, I have not touched any type of drugs, period. I now realize how stupid I was to do that knowing that it can have such an impact on whether or not I get this job (which is the ultimate career field I want to go into).

It was an act of impulsiveness, immaturity, etc. and I regret it every single day.

So with that said, will this action that I did as a young teenager end up disqualifying me if it is asked on the polygraph?

I have a quick question, hopefully someone knows the answer to this. I want to apply for the FBI internship this upcoming year (2015-2016). I only used drugs a little bit in high school. way less than a common user. I used adderall once in my life during my junior year of high school (17) and the last time I smoked was when I was 17. I will be 20 when I apply. Does that mean I am good for the 3 year clean rule? Help please!

When i was a kid i got into a little trouble with the law ( A Criminal trespass charge to be exact) I wouldnt leave my friend behind when he got hurt so i took the charge. I also experimented with a few drugs when i was younger but never touched them since. ( Though was never caught for any use ) 
I got everything sealed though i know the fbi / cia can still view these files.

I want to serve to make a better world for my kid and the rest of america

Does my past ( when i was 14-16 ) disqualify me from serving now to make this world a better place?

Twoblock, 
We'll leave the ultimate decision up to the profilers, whether or not I'm suited for the SA position WHEN it happens.

As for your comment on my character, although my response to your sarcastic remarks, were hard, cold, and factual, I think it to be quite presumptious and hasty on your part to infer you know the first thing about my overall character.  While I remain to target strictly your comments in the previous posts, you begin to attack my character.  Alas, I think I'm well suited for LE, for the simple fact that I can remain objective even under blatant, ill informed attack.

Thanks and have a great day!

agent817

My posts were never intended to be sarcastic. I was trying to show you: if it is illegal to sell then it is illegal to consume them and that shrooms are considered to be an illegal drug.

With your snap, condeming judgement, you just may not be cut out for LE. Take a hard look at your mindset.

Twoblock, no kidding that selling them is illegal!  Have you ever sold them?  My original post was about the relationship to personal consumption along with how that is related to FBI applications.  If you want to go off onto a tangent about selling, start a new thread. 
 
Thank you for your sarcasm and I'll know from this point forth, that your comments are sarcastic and emotional NOT informative.   
 
George W. Mashcke, thank you for your insight, your post was not sarcastic, but was informative. 
 
It looks like I may have to wait another three years then to reapply at which time, I'll have nothing to stop me from being accepted.  I'm still in my late 20's and three years will not put me in danger of the age constraint. 
 
Thanks again to all who added supportive information.   
 
 

agent817,

Psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. As noted at p. 4 of the FBI Special Agent Selection Process booklet, use of any illegal drug other than marijuana in the past ten years is a disqualifier.

agent817

I'm not a LEO. but i can tell you they are illegal drugs. I read just last week where a person received a long sentence for selling them. I have, also, read of cases where the brain never recovered from their use. 

You tried them and don't know if they are considered illegal drugs???. Consider yourself lucky if you don't have some permanent brain damage.

If you don't want to make personal contact with the DEA, then call your local DA and ask him what kind of sentance he asks the judge to hand down for convicted shrooms sellers. 

I don't have any DEA links.

I've only tried them 3 times, the last of which was about 7 years ago.  I'm applying for the Special Agent position with the FBI, other then the 'shroom' experiments when I was a stupid kid, there are no other road blocks for me.  I meet every thing else with flying colors.

Do you happen to have a quick link - phone number - to a DEA contact?  I'll have to do some searching other wise.  Thanks for your quick response.  My phase I test is this wednesday and I'd like to find out if shrooms are considered the "other illegal drugs."  My first impression, was things like, cocaine, LSD, heiroin, crack...
but I'm not sure, since there is so much controversy about mushrooms.   

Again, thanks and I look forward to your reply.

agent817

Contact your nearest DEA and they will tell you which ones are halucinogenic and those carry a much heavier penality than MJ. I imagine most any LEO can fill you in, also. You surely must not be in LE. Any cop who doesn't know about shrooms shouldn't be a cop.

Where can I find out if mushrooms are considered "illegal drugs other than marijuana?"

TwoBlock

I guess you were right...my friend got a letter from the FBI last week recending their job offer.  Oh well, I guess this is it for him

tspoiley

Your friend has no business working for any of our national security systems given his CIA record.

Fighting I can understand. I still do a little of that, at my age, when FORCED to in order to stand my ground. The rest of his record is completely stupid. Especially his affair with a foreign national. This is one of the ways that foreign networks get their hooks into week minded agents. Any man who would hit a woman, outside of self defense, is a week minded bully.

I have a 2 part question.  My friend worked for CIA for about 7 years.  He was forced to resign or get fired for a variety of issues.  Some issues were fighting, domestic violence, using a unauthoirzed military ID card, having an affair with a foreign person while overseas while married.   I was told that according to CIA policy, you are polygraphed when you return from overseas.  He applied for a position with FBI and failed the polygraph about 2 weeks ago..  He failed the questions related to drugs.  He admitted to taking durgs  once at the age of 12, that's 26 years ago.  The FBI said he was lying about the recency of drug use or the amount of times he used drugs.  He also apparently was asked about the drug questions on the CIA polygraph and had a reaction but he still passed.  He hasn't heard anything from the FBI to this date.  He was told by the polygrapher that his results will be sent to HQ. My questions are:  do you think the FBI had his test from CIA and just based his failure on that.  Do you think with his record at CIA (resignation and all the trouble he was in) will the FBI even grant him a job even if he passed the poly.  Would they base any of their decision on his past with the CIA or would they even find out about all that info in his recored there.

Johnn and Mustbaliar:

Admitting drug use that never happened to the FBI would not have helped you pass your polygraphs. The so-called tests do not work and are completely worthless. It's useless to torture yourselves over admitting to something you didn't do just to please an examiner and get a job. Your lack of drug experience probably got the examiners' attention because it's outside the norm. It's pretty sad that the FBI doesn't believe that there are actually people who have not experimented with drugs. Your examiners' biases and jaded views of society could very well have played a role in whether they believed you. If you had admitted to drug use and still reacted to the questions, the examiner would have accused you of being guilty of more drug use than you admitted prior to the test. There's no way to win. Deny using drugs, fail the poly and the agency thinks you are lying. Admit to drug use, fail the poly and the agency thinks you are lying about how many times you used drugs.

Johnn wrote on Sep 21^st, 2005 at 8:51pm:

Johnn,

I thought the same thing after I was completely truthful on my two polygraphs that I "failed."  I kept thinking that I should have admitted from the beginning that I did use drugs within acceptable parameters (even though I never actually have).  Maybe this would have allowed me to trick the poly and "pass."  But the polygraph isn't a scientific process, so you can't reliably predict outcomes.  Some people get lucky.  Some don't.   

darkcobra2005 wrote on Sep 21^st, 2005 at 8:17pm:


DarkCobra:

I'm curious as to how you arrived at such an assumption? Where's the logic? Are you saying that people who have used drugs and are honest about their usage would pass the FBI polygraph, but those who deny any and all involvement fail? Not true. The FBI is failing applicants who are being honest about their past drug use that's within its guidelines.

Johnn,

You'll find documentation in the message thread, FBI Polygraph Failure Rate Reportedly Near 50%.

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George,
I'm curious.  Where did you get the 50% failure rate?
Thanks ahead of time.