Drugs in the Military
The military is a very demanding job. Doing what a soldier does, day in and day out, takes a toll on even the strongest soldier. Many, more so now than ever, have turned to drugs to help ease the high stress they encounter on a day to day basis. Drugs affect the conscious state of the men and women that take them. The problem then lies in the cognitive performance of the soldier. With knowledge of what drugs are in the military, why they use drugs, changes in the way they administer drug testing, the military can begin to see a decrease in the drug activity within the ranks of the military.
What drugs are in the military?
alcohol
Many turn to alcohol as their drug of choice. “the percentage of active-duty servicemembers who reported binge drinking shot from 35 percent in 1998 to 47 percent in 2008.” states Jennifer Hlad. This is an alarming statistic when compared to the near 1 million enlisted in active duty service in 2008. With time this problem is growing exponentially. It is only a matter of time before this problem grows out of control.
Anabolic Steroids
These drugs are taken to enhance the performance of the soldier. Injected through a needle into the arm, the drug makes any soldier into a super soldier. this make the drug very appealing. The soldier often gets these drugs via mail, and little is done about it. If the military is getting a better soldier out of it and the test to detect the drug is very expensive why do anything. This is currently the military’s standpoint on the subject.
Energy Drinks
Caffeine is consumed by most americans, but little does everyone know it is indeed considered a drug. Any caffeine addict can attest that without caffeine a headache is bound to ale. The most popular way among soldiers of taking this drug is that of 5 hour energy. “sales of the energy shot reached $9.2 million in the military” states New Republic. Those who drink the energy drinks tend to sleep fewer hours at night. this in turn translates into sleeping on the job, which is dangerous when your job can kill you.
Narcotics Painkillers
In war in often occurs that the soldier gets hurt. It is inevitable. more times than not, the soldier self medicates, and among the drugs that are used these are some of them: Oxycontin, vicodin, and morphine. The soldier is prescribed the drugs to start out by a medic in the military. After that, the drug is a necessity. They do anything possible to get the drugs, and they are now addicted. This then translates into a full blown problem back in the states not only to the soldier but to the family as well.
Sleeping Pills
Drugs like Ambien are used to relax and come down off of a ‘caffeine high’.
"I popped two Ambien. No one was getting any rest without sleeping pills," says Mark Owen. The soldiers are in high stress environments where a lot is demanded from them, and a lot is expected. It is often hard to sleep once you have been in combat. The problem lies in the deadly consequences held by the drugs. If you take too many of them the drugs can prove to be fatal. Along with this operating machinery while on this drug is ill advised by the manufacturer of the drugs.
Changes in the Way They Administer Drug Testing
We need a change in the way we administer the drug testing. furthermore, if coupled with a zero tolerance rule the military should see a dramatic drop in the soldiers that are abusing drugs . As of today we allow a little of each drug in your system. The military uses the DOD Urinalysis screening system to test this. For example, in the screening we currently allow 50 nanograms per milliliter of Marijuana in the soldiers system the first screening. The confirmation level when the military redoes the test must come back with 15 nanograms or less of Marijuana in the system. The military allows a specific amount of nanograms per person this includes drugs like: Marijuana, cocaine, morphine, codeine, heroin, Amphetamines, Methamphetamine, Ecstasy, and Barbiturates. Even if the test comes back with scant traces of drugs there are still drugs in the soldiers system. What we are proposing is a zero tolerance rule. With a zero tolerance rule even if there are trace amounts in the system of the soldier the soldier is subjected to disciplinary action. One of the reasons the military allows a trace amount of drugs to be in the soldiers system is, because the military states, “You won’t get booted out of the military because you walked past someone in the dorm smoking a joint.” The military is not trying to punish a soldier who is around someone smoking a joint by chance. But with the zero tolerance rule you take all the situations out. Now if someone is in the dorm doing any kind of drugs you should not be around them, and the soldier that is doing the drugs will be caught and subjected to disciplinary action. We believe that if you make a zero tolerance rule that the drug usage in the military will decrease rapidly. 
Why are they using them?
There are a number of reasons as to why soldiers abuse drugs. Drug use in the military has increased in the past ten years. The reason that drug use has increased, recently, is due to the conditions of the war itself, in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the reasons that soldiers use drugs in the military is to cope with boredom. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is not characterized by heavy gunfights, like previous U.S. wars. Soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan are faced with a lot of down time. In order to cope with boredom and inactivity, many soldiers resort to drugs. We saw in Restrepo that although most outposts in Iraq and Afghanistan do not undergo significant firefight, some do. The soldiers that are faced with heavy firefight are put under a lot of mental stress. A way to deal with the stress induced by combat is through drugs. Some drugs are given to soldiers to keep them alert during night duties. Although some drugs are used to benefit soldiers, even they can still be abused. These drugs are not intended to be abused, but it is obvious that sometimes they are. Not all of the blame should be put on the soldiers themselves though; military doctors willingly prescribe prescription drugs to soldiers. In an interview, (Ret.) Brigadier Gen. Becky stated that “Prescription drugs have become the catchall—‘take this and if it makes you feel better, we’ll increase the dosage’.” Ease of access also contributes to the increase in drug use in the past 10 years, in the military. This tells us that the military doctors are not afraid to give out these drugs. Also, in the past few years, soldiers have been able to acquire drugs more easily from their family overseas. Stress, boredom, alertness, and ease of access are all contributing factors as to why soldiers use drugs in the military. 
Results of the use
In one example, the use of drugs in the military killed 16 unarmed civilians. Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was under the influence of stanozolol when he slipped out of his outpost in Afghanistan. In just 4 hours Bales killed 16 unarmed civilians while under the influence of stanozolol. Stanozolol is an anabolic steroid whose side effects include: mood swings, aggression, and delusion. This is an example of how drug use in the military can endanger unarmed civilians. Soldiers under the influence are not only dangerous to civilians though, they are also a danger to their fellow soldiers. If a soldier is impaired because of drug use, it puts the man or woman next to them in peril too. “You have a job and a responsibility, and that includes watching out for your fellow Marines, fellow sailors, and it includes being able to do your job so you don’t put anybody at risk...you can’t afford to have your mind blurred.”, states Malone in an interview with Stars and Stripes. The military operates in units, if one person is not cohesive with the rest of the unit then they are no longer operating the way they are supposed to. Drugs will not only endanger others but also the individual using the drug. Drugs reduce awareness and slow reaction time, in a combat situation, this could be the difference between life and death.
Conclusion
We felt that this topic needed to be discussed and change should be addressed.
Soldiers in the military have access to an arsenal of weapons. Accessing these weapons under the influence of these drugs poses a threat not only to themselves but to their family, friends, and fellow soldiers as well. Soldiers also need to be completely coherent and aware of their surroundings while in the military. With the complete removal of drugs from the military one can begin to see the decrease in careless accidents.
