False Positives At Military Drug Labs

I recently wrote about the false positive results being reported by Navy Drug Screening Laboratory Great Lakes here.  The military urinalysis program began in 1974 after several studies established there was widespread drug use among the force in the Vietnam era.  I started handling these cases in 2006 and have compiled a list of the false positives reported by and other misconduct at military drug labs that were released or publicized.  I am 100% positive there are more instances of false positives that have not been released by the drug labs or were otherwise “swept under the rug.”  Here is my current list:

1. 1995: Navy Drug Screening Laboratory Norfolk (now closed) – two employees fired for tampering with samples to mask problems with quality control.
2. September 2004: Navy Drug Screening Laboratory Jacksonville – false positive for THC.  Negative blind quality control tests positive for THC.
3. September 2008: Navy Drug Screening Laboratory Great Lakes – false positive for d-Amphetamine/d-Methamphetamine.
4. July 2008: Tripler Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratory – heroin blind quality control replaced with random sample during testing procedure.
5. April 2012: Fort Meade Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratory – blind quality control not tested; technician lies to conceal mistake; falsification of time cards.
6. April 2012 – Navy Drug Screening Laboratory San Diego (now closed) – reports a false positive for d-Amphetamine/d-Methamphetamine.
7. June 2016 – Tripler Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratory – for approximately 18 months, the lab hired and employed a husband and wife as the QA officer and technical director.  Wife certified the husband as a negative laboratory certifying officer outside the standard process.
8. April 2017: Navy Drug Screening Laboratory Great Lakes – admits it has been reporting false positives for methamphetamine since February 2006.

When a servicemember is so quickly separated based on a positive urinalysis, there is no room for error or misconduct in the testing process.  There has to be 100% confidence in the results if the military is going to rely on those results – and nothing else – to end a career.

Attorney Patrick Korody is a former Navy JAG who was certified as a Specialist in Military Justice by the Judge Advocate General.  He represents members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard – active and reserves – worldwide – at courts-martial and administrative separation boards based on drug abuse/positive drug test results/positive urinalysis.  He offers a free consultation.  His office can be reached at 904.383.7261.