Ana Maria Salazar, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Drug Enforcement Policy and Support, noted that drug use by DoD personnel is down 90 percent compared to two decades ago. Just 2.6 percent of all service members reported drug use within the 30 days preceding their response to a 1998 survey, she said. More than 27 percent of respondents in a 1980 survey said they used illegal drugs in the preceding 30 days. Overall, the use of illegal drugs by service members is down. She pointed to the effectiveness of substance abuse education programs, DoD's zero tolerance policy toward drug use, pre-employment and random drug testing.
Drug use is incompatible with military service.
Our system identifies users and ensures that they are punished. This approach deters drug use by other service members and promotes readiness. Drug use by society in general damages our ability as a nation to have a strong economy with citizens who are focused on healthy lifestyles. This, in itself, threatens security. DoD had been conducting drug tests on service members since 1971, in large part to identify and treat heroin addicts who had picked up the habit in Southeast Asia, said Salazar.