Whoops.  We are supposed to count on the military to be our rock solid backbone of our country.  To serve, and protect.  These guys are supposed to be flawless.

I get it.  We’re all human.  Things happen.  But, this story I read today on NavyTimes.com made me think a bit about just how human we all are.

Just this April, a drug testing lab found a fault in a urine test that it was relying on to separate over 200 sailors.  This dates back to 2006, according to Navy officials.

Navy Drug Testing Lab Is 86’d

The facility, located in Great Lakes, Illinois, has since been shut down.  They found out that it’s meth testing could product a false positive result.  Under “rare conditions” one could be positively tested for methamphetamine as well as amphetamines.  Yikes!

This discovery happened on April 12, and the testing procedures performed there were immediately shut down.  It’s unknown whether any service members were separated from this happening, but the investigation is ongoing.  The report did say that the chances are “unlikely.”

I’d hate to see someone work so hard to be in the Navy, with the desire to represent their country, only to fail a drug test that wasn’t accurate.  I can’t imagine the crushing feeling that would be experienced should this have been an occurrence.  This makes me sick to my stomach.

In a bit of positive news, any Sailors who want to challenge their discharge now have the opportunity to do so by going to the Board of Correction of Naval Records.

This laboratory tested Marine Corps and Navy samples, but also mentioned in the report that some Army Reserve and National Guard samples were done as well.

In a bit of good news, the false positive tests only transpired in urine samples that were already testing positive for drugs.  So basically, if you failed the test for say, pot smoking, you would have that happen but also get a mark on your report that you didn’t pass a test for meth.  (When it rains, it pours.)

So basically a test was done, and then the tests were divided into what people tested positive for:  meth, coke, weed, etc.  The second test went on to confirm that the sample was positive.  when that happened, a small amount of the 11 years of testing may have yielded a false positive.

In the 11 years of the testing, 214 sailors were separated from the Navy for failing tests for methamphetamine or amphetamine in this exact facility.

I guess it’s even more reason to use this in your hair.  When you fight a battle you can’t win, you have to bring out all the heavy artillery!

About Jake Hansen

Jake is a marijuana advocate and voice of the people who are for the legalization of marijuana. As the webmaster, all views, opinions, and reviews on this website are based on his personal experiences. He hopes to educate people as well as help them find the best methods to pass drug tests.