What a bunch of B.S.... Either allow recreational drugs in the Navy or not, no exceptions....

[Craig]

My time on the soapbox.

 

Every-time I hear the Navy say "Drug abuse puts lives and missions at risk and undercuts unit readiness and morale" it just ticks me off.  Either get with the program, or not.  Don't send mixed messages....

 

I know the Navy, and I know it well...  I love talking about the Navy, and helping those that don't understand it.  

Here's a post I made a while back.  I'd love to hear your view once you read this entire post....  

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Actually I love trivia....  Especially Navy stuff...

Being stuck on a ship for 8 months deployments, we use to play trivia games just to pass the time. Here's one trivia question that your sailor can make alot of money on by winning bets.  I know I did....

So... Let have a little test for you guys....

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You are the armchair Commanding Officer (O6).

The Question:
A young E3 Sailor is sitting on a mid watch at the quarterdeck aboard the USS Nimitz, bored as heck, playing with an Amulet (an object worn, especially around the neck, as a charm against evil or injury) that he has around his neck. In comes enters Navy Lieutenant (O3). He asks the Sailor "How the watch is going?" The Sailor says "Great!"

The Lieutenant notices the Amulet and a small plastic bag suddenly falls from it. The Lieutenant asks “What’s that?”. Nervously, the young Sailor says "Nothing" as he quickly places the bag back into the Amulet.

The Lieutenant again ask “WHAT WAS THAT?” to which the smart @ss Sailor says “That sir, is what the DEA calls a Schedule 1 hallucinogen (a schedule 1 is classed as Ecstasy, PCP, Angel Dust, LSD…etc) and it’s on the DEA Controlled Substance Act (CSA)”. Thinking that the E3 was kidding the Lieutenant asks “And what do you plan on doing with that?” The Sailor replies “I'm going to take it with my wife this Saturday!… I have 5 more grams at my apartment off-base!" When the Lieutenant finally realizes that the young Sailor is not kidding, he ask if that was authorized by medical, the kid says "No, I bought it off the streets". The Lt. quickly calls the Master-at-Arms and has the E3 arrested.

In the brig, they read the Sailor his rights, and ask him if he wishes to say anything. The Sailor refuses.
They refer the young Sailor to Captain’s Mast. The Captain reviews the young Sailor’s service record. And notices that the young Sailor already had a drug waiver issued by MEPS for using this same drug!
Of the below options, what do you think a good Commanding Officer (CO) will do to this E3? (think of everything as a good CO would do).

1. Release the young Sailor with an apology, and then counsel the Lieutenant for wasting yout (CO's) time.
2, Charge the Sailor with possession of drugs, with the intent to use. Put him on restriction, and allow him to remain on active duty.
3. Charge the Sailor with possession of drug, with the intent to use. Give him 45 days Restriction, 60 day extra duty and ½ months pay for 2 months, and Confinement on Bread and water for 3 days, then Discharge him, with an “Other than Honorable discharge.

4.  Charge the Sailor with possession of drug, with the intent to use. Give him 45 days Restriction, 60 day extra duty and ½ months pay for 2 months, and Confinement on Bread and water for 3 days, then Discharge him, with an “Dishonorable discharge".

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Here is the Answer...............
I love this question because it solves alot of questions. I have won many bets because of this and if you are still friendly with you Sailors recruiter, I would pose this question to him.
Please understand when I post this stuff, I post it to help you guys understand the Navy. I already know it, but I think if I can get you to understand the Navy, then you and your sailor will be on the same level playing field. I actually want you guys to be smarter.

So, what I want to do is show you why the other questiond that are wrong, then I will tell you what is correct....so bear with me while I explain the reason the other answers are wrong 1st….

Not Answered yet:  1 2 3 4 

WRONG ~
2. Charge the Sailor with possession of drugs, and with the intent to use. Put him on 30 days restriction, and allow him to remain on active duty.

Why? Per OPNAVY 5350.4d, The Navy’s drug policy is “Zero Tolerance”. This requires mandatory processing for separation of all individuals found guilty of a single incident of drug use.
Here is a Navy message that just came out this year (Mar 2010):http://www.persnet.navy.mil/NR/rdonlyres/2C3DBAE8-7A62-411B-BC91-56...
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Not Answered yet:  1   3 4 
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WRONG ~
3. Charge the Sailor with possession of drugs, and with the intent to use. Put him give him 45 day restriction, 60 extra duty, and 1/2 months pay for 2 month (fine), and discharge his with a "Other than Honorable discharge".

Why? Because the limit for a CO, who is an O6, can only issue a fine is 1/2 month pay for 1 month for paygrade E3. (see chart) Note:  General Officers in Command are Flag officers (ie Admirals)

From: http://www.tpub.com/maa/57.htm

 

Note:  Yes, Bread and Water is a punishment.  Since you are the C.O. and are on a U.S. Navy warship and not a Navy shore station you can be given a 3 days bread and water punishment. I have only seen this happen twice in 18 years.  Shore duty cannot give this as a punishment. 

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Not Answered yet:  1   - 4 
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WRONG ~
4. Charge the Sailor with possession of drugs, and with the intent to use. Put him give him 45 day restriction, 60 extra duty, and 1/2 months pay for 1 month (fine), and Confinement on bread and water for 3 days, then discharge his with a "Dishonorable Discharge".

Why? Because only a Dishonorable Discharge (DD) can only be awarded as a result of a conviction by a General Court-Martial. So the Captain does not have the authority to award this. DD’s are for cases like murder, rapes, desertion and other really hard core things. Receiving a DD means you are a convicted Federal felon which means you can never own a firearm or vote.

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Which leaves:  1
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OK, that leaves on 1.

A. Release the young Sailor with an apology, and then counsel the Lieutenant for wasting your time.

Hint: Although I have reservations on telling you, could there be any extenuating circumstances that allows this Sailor to legally use drug, that was not prescribed to him, and is on the DEA list that equals to LSD and PCP? Or am I just messing with you?
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The correct answer is:
A. Release the young Sailor with an apology, and then counsel the Lieutenant for wasting your time.

Here's why:
Even though the Navy says they have a Zero Tolerance for drug use, it fact it doesn't. It's more like 99.9998% can't use drugs but certain religions can.

But being a good CO, you would have read this guys service record and found our young E3 is an Native American. He has the drug Peyote, which the DEA has as a Schedule 1 hallucinogen (Same as LSD/PCP). Although, it is illegal for 99.9% of the U.S. citizen, it is allowed for use by our Native American people. The Navy recognizes this too. Although he can use it for religious reasons, he cannot use it just to get high. So, when he got his original drug waiver for this drug, it was because he was using it to get high, and not for religious reasons. Now, he is using it for religious reasons….

Most people don't realize that the Navy accepts drug uses for non-medical reasons from Sailors that are Native American. Although the drug Peyote is considered a Schedule 1 hallucinogen (a schedule 1 is classed as Ecstasy, PCP, Angel Dust, LSD..ect), it is allowed for religious reasons.
(a) NAVCRUITDIST COs must personally interview Native American applicants who have used Peyote. Applicants will be required to provide a tribal letter certifying that Peyote is a traditional sacrament of the tribe’s religious belief system. Then documented on form DD-1966
(b) Peyote for religious purposes, as stated above, is not to be documented on any other enlistment document.
(c) The Director of Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program will review, on a case-by-case basis, the assignment to, denial of, or removal from the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program of those Native American service members who practice the sacramental use of Peyote, when the decision was based solely of the Native American’s sacramental use of Peyote. This provision applies to personnel enlisted in or assigned to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
(2) Non-Religious Use. A drug waiver is required if it is determined that Peyote was used for other than religious reasons.
(3) Native Americans who use Peyote for religious reasons must be briefed on Department of Defense policies regarding Peyote use while on active duty.
(a) Peyote shall not be used on duty or within 24 hours before scheduled military drill.
(b) Peyote may be possessed in amulet form, not for ingestion, and such amulet may be worn as an item of religious apparel subject to Service uniform regulations. Otherwise, Peyote shall not be used, possessed, distributed, or introduced aboard military vehicles, vessels, aircraft, or (except when permitted by the installation commander) on military installations.
(c) A Service member who has used Peyote shall promptly notify their commanding officer upon return to duty after such use. The Navy Department requires pre-use notification from service members, when it is in the interest of military readiness or safety, to notify commanding officers of the member’s intent to use Peyote. Upon notification of use, or intended use, of Peyote, the member’s commanding officer shall verify the member is an enrolled member of a Native American tribe having Peyote as a religious sacrament, as defined by 42 U.S. C 1996a(c)(2).
e. Hallucinogenic drug use effect on classification. Applicants shall not be classified into ratings or enlistment programs that require recruits to enter the Personal Reliability Program (PRP) if they have ever used any type of hallucinogenic (including Peyote).
There are no exceptions to this policy.

Here is the offical rule. 

This is a very obscure rule that most sailor, or recruiters for that matter, know about. If you do ask this question to your recruiter, tell them it's in COMNAVCRUITCOMINST 1130.8H – VOLUME II – CH1, Section 9, para 020903. (ENLISTMENT ELIGIBILITY) of their recruiters handbook.

020903.  ENLISTMENT ELIGIBILITY (Chapter 2, Section 9, Page 5).
http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/Publications/Directives/1130_8J%20VOL%20II...

Lastly, you will here alot of talk about people that are discharge for one reason or another. Here is the truth:

Myth: If I get a drug discharge, it will automatically get upgraded in six months.

Reality: There is nothing automatic about a discharge review. The extremely complicated process requires that you show the Navy Discharge Review Board that the alleged entry or omission in the records was in error or unjust. The board receives hundreds of requests annually, and in the last three years not one drug discharge upgrade request was approved.

 

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Remember, the sailor has the right to remain silent.  He does not have to make a statement, nor should he.  Let justice take it course, and maybe someone will learn from it.  As a Native American, or any other race for that matter, you do not have to disclose your race. Yes, it will be asked on any military form in the Navy, but, in normal conversation why would anyone ask "Hey, are you black". In the Navy we are suppose to be colored blind. If I had been black, I would ask the officer "What does that have to do with any of this conversation". Secondly, my religious believes are mine. I don't have to disclose them to anyone except the CO.

Here is what's wrong, the Lieutent failed to realise this sailor was Native American. It is his duty to review this mans service record. You are not guilty until proven inocent. As per the smart @ss sailor not telling the Lieutenant his life's story. He is not required to tell him. Maybe he is tired of people knowing his business, maybe he's tired of people asking if he's still high. The bottomline is he is not required to offer information until he is brought before a court or in this case Capt's Mast. His service record was not review, had it, the Lieutent would have known,  This sailors only requirement is to tell the CO when/if/before he used Peyote..

 

Kind of makes you feel good that some sailor could be still high on drugs while working next to your sailor huh?   Oh well, I guess the 0% tolerance is actually .0001%

So yes, the Navy does allow recreation drug use (ie in the Navy you only have 2 types, Medical, or recreation drug use).  

My own personal feeling is if your religion allows the use of drugs, then you shouldn't be in the Navy where you could harm one of our sailors.  The drugs cause "Flash backs".   It totally goes against the priciples that the Navy is trying to enforce, and it seems to me if you allow it for one group, then why can't you allow it for the others.  What happened to "Freedom of Religion"?  

Remember also,  having the last name "RunningBear" or being a Native American doesn't mean you have the right to use Peyote. Your tribal leader must state that it beleives in using it for religious beliefs. The only way of knowing for sure about your sailors is to review their service record

I will get off my soapbox now....

Your comments?