Air Force Grants 3X More Cannabis Waivers Than Expected, Still Misses Its Recruiting Goals

The Air Force had projected to see only about 50 cases per year in its marijuana waiver pilot program, but it turns out a lot more applicants were interested in this.

Struggling to meet its recruiting goals, the Air Force undertook a temporary policy change last year in which it gave a second chance to some applicants who tested positive for marijuana. To earn a waiver, applicants need to score at least 50 points on the Armed Services Qualification Test, have no felony or misdemeanor convictions, possess a high school diploma and be medically qualified for service.

Within the first year of the pilot program, as many as 165 waivers were granted to candidates who retested and were shown to be THC-free, the Air Force Recruiting Service told Military.

The news comes as the Air Force missed its active-duty enlisted recruiting goals for the past fiscal year (ended Sunday) by 11%. This is the first time in 24 years that it was unable to reach its anticipated number, reports the outlet.

The service’s recruiting goal for fiscal 2023 was 26,877; it missed it by some 2,700.

See Also: Marijuana & Troops: Air Force, Space Force Will Give Second Chance To Applicants Who Test Positive For THC

Gen. Christopher Amrhein, the Air Force Recruiting Service commander recently said that the recruiting situation could have been much worse if it hadn't been for the pilot program.

"Let's make no mistake, drug usage has absolutely no place in our Air and Space Forces," Amrhein told reporters. "But allowing a second test in the recruiting process is the right thing to do. For FY23, this policy change allowed us to bring in approximately 165 additional high-quality airmen."

As more and more states loosen their marijuana laws, the Air Force might see a continued increase in waivers, Air Force Recruiting Service spokeswoman Chrissy Cuttita told the outlet.

According to data from a 2021 study by Rand Corp, more than 50% of all new recruits are from states where cannabis is legal, at least for medical use.

What’s more, a Pentagon study from the same year, revealed that as many as 77% of young Americans would not qualify for military service without a waiver due to drug usage or mental and physical health problems.

Photo: Courtesy of Anukrati Omar via Unsplash