Along with raising the maximum age of enlistment from 35 to 42, the U.S. army ended its restrictions on marijuana convictions related to possession and paraphernalia. This change occurred while the U.S. government continues to wrestle with the federal legality of cannabis; along with a nationwide ban on intoxicating hemp-derived products that occurred in late last year.
The change in policy coincided with the recent deployment of 2,000 soldiers, and a range of roughly 4,500 Marines to the Middle East.
According to reporting from Task and Purposes, a news outlet centered around military news and culture, the U.S. army failed to meet recruitment goals in 2022 and 2023. The change in policy likely comes from a desire to mitigate shrinking recruitment numbers.
And for cannabis in particular, the change in policy likely reflects a country caught in limbo concerning marijuana legalization.Before the military changed its policy, a cannabis-related conviction would result in a waiver from the Pentagon, along with a 24-month waiting period, followed by a drug test, for a recruit to enlist.
While still illegal at a federal level, the substance is legal, medically and recreationally, in 24 states. As reflected in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) decision to loosen its marijuana policy in regard to firearm licences, federal organizations are struggling to maintain bureaucratic policy that aligns with the behaviors of modern Americans.