LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
A new drug testing method for the 633rd Air Base Wing Drug Demand Reduction Program was enacted by the Department of Defense in December 2013. Synthetic marijuana was added to random drug testing panels to enforce the zero-tolerance policy on the use of illicit drugs at Joint Base Langley-Eustis.
Catherine Heyward, 633rd ABW Drug Demand Reduction Program manager, said the DOD implemented the method to uphold military standards, ensure mission effectiveness and preserve Service members' health.
"I see [JBLE] as a family," said Heyward. "Service members are here to protect and serve. There's no way they can do that when they are using illicit drugs."
According to U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Samantha Paris-Harvey, 633rd ABW Paralegal military justice noncommissioned officer in charge, Service members caught using synthetic marijuana or any other illicit drugs are subject to punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and can receive anything from an Article 15 to a court martial or jail time.
Aside from legal consequences, synthetic marijuana also raises many health concerns, because manufacturers frequently modify the chemical composition to avoid punishment under federal laws.
"A big concern [with synthetic marijuana] is you are not always sure what is in it," said Dr. [Maj.] Gregory Trolley, 633rd Medical Operations Squadron neurologist. "It's not a regulated industry, so it can contain unknown chemicals and severely harm consumers."
Trolley explained synthetic marijuana is a designer drug that mimics the effects of marijuana, but can cause negative side effects including seizures, tremors, difficulty sleeping, headaches, sweating, hallucinations, psychotic episodes and suicidal thoughts.
Airmen at Langley Air Force Base who feel they have a drug addiction can self-identify on their own terms to the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Prevention and Treatment center or the DDRP office to receive counseling and treatment. Soldiers on Fort Eustis can self-identify to the Army Substance Abuse Program office. However, those already selected for random drug testing cannot self-identify.
"The U.S. military's new ability to test for synthetic marijuana is going to greatly affect Service members' health around JBLE," said Heyward. "Our goal is to maintain a strong and effective community with an excellent quality of life. Illicit drugs don't belong in such a place."
For more information, contact the Langley ADAPT office at 764-6840, the Langley DDRP office at 764-9608, or the Fort Eustis ASAP office at 878-1674.