Cannabis and the U.S. Navy: An Assessment of Policies to Adopt After Federal Legalization - Analysis of Marijuana Negative and Positive Effects, Possible Authorized Use with Limitations

This report from March 2019 has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. This study conducts an analysis of various policy options for the U.S. Navy to adopt after the federal legalization of cannabis. Utilizing Eugene Bardach's eight-step method, this study compares three possibilities for policy recommendation. The first option is to maintain the status quo, or to continue a zero-tolerance policy. The second option is one where specific job specialties would prohibit the performance of certain duties within a specified period of time after cannabis usage. The third option is one where, whatever the job, cannabis usage will be treated like alcohol in all regards. The research shows that adopting a policy that prohibits the performance of specific job specialties for a specified period of time is the most ideal policy, as it would provide confidence in key jobs being performed with the highest confidence of completion, provide equity between civilian and military service members, would not limit the number of new recruits coming into the U.S. Navy, and would provide naval service members with a less harmful recreational drug of choice.

This compilation includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

The U.S. Navy has prohibited the use of cannabis since it was classified as a controlled substance in 1970. However, changing state laws that legalize cannabis are beginning to have an effect on the U.S. Navy. These law changes are currently affecting the number of waivers the Navy produces for incoming service members. A future change to the federal cannabis policy would have an even larger impact on the U.S. Navy's manpower and policies and its service members' rights and freedoms. The U.S. Navy must think ahead to prepare for the growing chance that the United States does legalize cannabis at the federal level.

The first chapter introduces the assumption of federal cannabis legalization, describes the problems that that assumption presents to the U.S. Navy, and indicates the specific research question, the scope of research, and the overall organization of the study. Chapter II, the background and literature review, explains what cannabis is, describes the health effects of cannabis on users, its effects on the efficiency of U.S. Navy service members, examines contextual military rights and freedoms, and presents studies that have used the Bardach eight-step method to show the method's versatility and efficacy. Chapter III consists of the methodology, outlining Eugene Bardach's eight-step method of policy analysis. This chapter has eight sections, one for each of the eight steps. These steps provide a framework for selecting best policies in general. Chapter IV is an application of the methodology to determine the best policy option in the context of this study. This chapter compares the three possibilities for policy recommendation based on specific criteria. Chapter V is a sensitivity analysis that determines the robustness of the analysis from Chapter IV. Chapter VI concludes the study. Bardach's eight-step method of policy analysis is summarized, and the authorized use of cannabis with limitations is recommended as being the best policy for the U.S. Navy to adopt after federal legalization is recommended.