what is the CIA cutoff

[anononon]

 I know the CIA is pretty flexable with past drug use, so long as it is a year before and infrequent. But I was wondering if anyone could offer their knowledge/ experince on specifics. It is just in my research, I have had from "anything more than pot and you are out" to "so long as you don't inject anything, we can talk". So anything would be helpful.

[B702]

The CIA is NOT flexible with past drug use unless they changed their policy in the last 5 years..I poly'd with them for 3 days straight...I used marijuana in high school a couple times and I mean a couple times 2-3.
As soon as you admit to any drug use you are branded a dealer and will not leave the room having "passed" the poly.  both my parents retired from the agency and I got stung because of my smoking pot twice.. so good luck.

[George W. Maschke]

B702,

It's not the case that the CIA has a zero-tolerance policy regarding past drug use. While the CIA does not publish any cutoff for past drug use (as the FBI does), having used marijuana 2-3 times in high school should not have disqualified you, provided that you admitted it before the polygraph and not after.

The CIA will disqualify applicants for simply failing to pass the polygraph, however. As a result, many truthful, qualified applicants are wrongly excluded from employment.