This is my first time posting on the board and I need some information and advice.  I am an IT professional recently offered employment with a govt contractor working on a Special Access Program contract with one of the intel agencies  (they won’t tell me the specifics until I am cleared but I am guessing either CIA or NSA).  My employment offer is contingent on “….successful completion of security clearance processing including a background investigation and full scope lifestyle polygraph”  I have never had a polygraph before although I held a security clearance some years ago while serving in the Air Force.  During my employment screening, I answered a series of written questions including “have you used illegal drugs within the past 7 years?” or “have you ever used illegal drugs while holding a security clearance or serving as a law enforcement officer?”.  I truthfully answered  both questions – “NO”.

I did, however, use drugs (marijuana) in high school – long before the 7 year limit.  Like many teenagers growing up in California, I “experimented”, although in my case the experiment lasted a few years –  right up until I graduated high school and enlisted in the Air Force.     My recruiter cautioned me never to use drugs in the military because I would most certainly get caught due to the aggressive urinalysis testing program – I took his advice and I have lived a clean life ever since without even a parking ticket on my record.   This same straight arrow recruiter told me to lie about my drug use on my enlistment paperwork – I took his advice here also.  I realize that this was “wrong” but…I am sure that I am not the first person with this story.   Now then, here are my questions:

Question 1 – Will the full-scope lifestyle polygraph dig deeper than the drug use questions which I already answered truthfully.  If not, then I have nothing to worry about.  If so, then….

Question 2 – If I deny ANY drug use EVER and the polygraph indicates deception on this one question, will I still get cleared under the “whole person” concept where the rest of my record is squeaky clean?  In my mind, the worst that can happen is that I won’t get the job but I will at least never have been on record admitting to drug use.  If I admit, then I will probably not get cleared, right??

Question 3 – Will the polygraph examiner conduct the test differently if I admit to researching info on this website??  If so, how?? 

I am looking for an opportunity to put my skills to work serving my country.   Please spare me the morality lectures on whether it is right or wrong to lie…I already know that it is “wrong”.  Just give me the facts about what will actually happen under each scenario – THANKS!!

ITjobseeker wrote on Oct 12^th, 2006 at 9:07pm:


While I am not certain, I suspect that the answer is "yes," and that you may be asked about any drug use during your entire life.

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No, you will not get cleared if you are deemed to have failed the polygraph. However, while the extent of your marijuana use during highschool would almost certainly disqualify you from FBI employment (it was more than 15 times, right?), it would not necessarily preclude you from holding a top secret clearance with the CIA or NSA. In fact, I think it is highly unlikely that it would.

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Both the CIA and NSA use the (completely discredited) Relevant/Irrelevant format as their primary technique for employee security screening. That's unlikely to change if you admit to having read about polygraphy on AntiPolygraph.org. But what will change if you admit to having visited this website is that your polygrapher will be more likely to accuse you of using polygraph countermeasures.