15 Defence Forces members dismissed or facing dismissal after positive drug tests
'broadly Past It Rate Out Forces 67% The Number Carried With Last The Over Trend Year Is Drug Tests The Of 16 Istock And In 1 Years' Defence Said In Line Locations The 1,015 General Positive
Of the 17 members of the Defence Forces who tested positive for illicit drugs in 2022, 15 have been dismissed or face dismissal.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces confirmed it has discharged eight members and "a further seven are in the process of being discharged".
The remaining two personnel who tested positive “are the subject of targeted drug testing”.
As a result of the Defence Forces' compulsory random drug testing (CRDT) programme amongst members, the spokesman said that in 2022 there were 14 positive tests for Class A drugs which includes cocaine, and three positive tests for Class B drugs, which includes cannabis.
The 17 positive tests are more than double the seven for 2021.
According to the Defence Forces annual report, the Defence Forces Drugs Testing Team (DFDTT) conducted 1,015 individual tests in 2022, compared to 388 tests during the pandemic-hit 2021.
The report says the 2022 total equates to 11.08% of the Defence Forces strength and that random drug testing was conducted in 16 locations.
The 17 positive tests represent 1.67% of the numbers tested "which is broadly in line with the general trend over the past number of years”.
The DFDTT also conducted 11 target tests during the testing period. The 2022 tests included 61 members of the Reserve Force.
The spokesman said that the Defence Forces cannot comment on the scale of drug testing in other organisations but that its “drug testing procedures are robust and fit for purpose”.
The spokesman said: "The 2008 and 2015 reports on wellbeing in the Defence Forces found that drug testing was positively supported in the Defence Forces across all services.
"74% of respondents in the 2015 survey agreed or strongly agreed that drug testing was a positive development."
"In 20 years of drug testing in the Defence Forces — 2003 to 2022 — there have been in excess of 25,500 tests conducted of which 201 have been deemed as positive tests.”