What does the unit commander do when notified that a soldier has registered a positive drug test?
When a unit commander is notified that a soldier has registered a positive drug test, the type of drug identified determines the unit commander’s actions. If the drug is either marijuana, PCP, Cocaine, or LSD the commander will advise the soldier of legal rights, show the evidence to the soldier, consider UCMJ action, initiate flagging action and separation processing simultaneously, and refer the soldier to the ASAP clinic. If the drug is an opiate, barbiturate, morphine, codeine, or amphetamine, the commander will refer the soldier to a Medical Review Officer (MRO) who will speak with the soldier to determine if there were any medical reasons (e.g. prescribed medication, oral surgery, etc..) which would indicate the drug was legally used by the soldier. If illegal drug use is determined , called a “verified positive drug test”, the unit commander will take the same actions which would have been taken had the drug been illegal.
