Drug use reportedly rising among Navy's elite
By Mackenzie Wolf
Navy SEALS PBS image
Drug use among the elite Navy SEALs, one of the most revered units in the U.S. military, is on the rise, per a CBS News report. Three SEALs came forward to discuss the prevalence of drug use in the Navy's special operations unit.
"I'm sitting in this chair because I'm not proud anymore to be in the community because of the direction that it's going," said one of the Navy SEALs who came forward.
The prevalence of drug use has reportedly become such a problem that the SEALs halted all training last December to hold a safety standdown.
Due to their demanding schedules and often being away from their home bases, SEALs have skirted around the random urinalysis to which military members are subjected. Some SEALs said it had been years since they were last drug tested.
Vowing to change that, Capt. Jamie Sands, who commanded 900 SEALs for three months, said: "We're going to test on the road. We're going to test on deployment. If you do drugs, if you decide to be that selfish individual, which I don't think anyone's going to do after today — I believe that — then you will be caught."
About Mackenzie Wolf
Mackenzie Wolf is an editorial intern for Military Times.