After

Officially, of course, drugs have never been and are not now tolerated in the military. In actual fact, the punishment for possession of marijuana depends pretty much on one's commanding officer. Some soldiers, when found with marijuana, go scot-free; others may be locked up for several years and, if they lose their appeal, may end up with a court-martial and a dishonorable discharge.
    Still, marijuana continues to be widely used among American military personnel at home and abroad. An air force officer writes that he "could not have survived the boredom of three years of service had it not been for grass." In 1978, an internal army survey estimated that over two hundred thousand enlisted personnel were using marijuana. This survey, Brig. Gen. John J. Johns told the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control in May 1978, indicated that the use of drugs in the military was less widespread than was originally feared. "The army views its drug abuse problems as serious but not of epidemic proportions," said the general.
    An air force man from the Midwest who had just been appointed class leader tells of opening a door in the barracks and finding a group of new recruits sitting cross-legged against the walls and passing around several joints. "They were just as surprised as I was," he notes, "and the tension in the room became as heavy as the cloud of smoke." He goes on:

I knew it was my responsibility to report this incident, but I felt no moral obligation to do it. On the one hand, I could probably get to be an honor graduate by the process of elimination. But I had no desire to see these kids busted and labeled as criminals for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, I had to do something, or else I would lose control of the situation. "Scoot over," I said, as I took a place against the wall and joined the worldwide fraternity of heads. Thereafter, I had not the slightest trouble out of any of them and received their willing cooperation in the accomplishment of extra duties assigned to our class.

    Currently stationed in Korea, this man reports that marijuana sells there for ten dollars an ounce and that the quality is good. Most of the dealers, he reports, are ex-servicemen who have elected to be discharged overseas. They are allowed to remain in Korea for up to a year, making a small fortune in the drug trade before returning to the United States at government expense.