The U.S. Army has updated its drug policy to clarify that soldiers are prohibited from using intoxicating hemp cannabinoid products like delta-8 THC. It is further cautioning servicemembers against eating foods containing poppyseeds, which can produce false positives when testing for opioids.
The update to the Army’s substance misuse guidance took effect on October 4. And with respect to the delta-8 THC components, it represents one of the latest examples of how government and private institutions are attempting to navigate the legal grey area that’s emerged since hemp and its derivatives were legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill.
The military branch’s prior policy enacted in 2020 made clear that the “use of products made or derived from hemp,” even if it’s legal for civilians, is prohibited for soldiers. But that guidance came before delta-8 and other intoxicating cannabinoids became a mainstream feature of the largely unregulated cannabis market.
Instead, the Army at the time focused on non-intoxicating CBD, which servicemembers are also barred from using. It remains the rule that prohibited cannabis products include those that are “injected, inhaled, or otherwise introduced into the human body; food products; transdermal patches, topical lotions and oils; soaps and shampoos; and other cosmetic products that are applied directly to the skin.”
“This provision is punitive, and violations may be subject to punishment,” it says.
Congress and state legislatures have been paying closer attention to the intoxicating cannabinoid market in recent years, with various proposals to regulate or outright ban such products. The language of the earlier Army guidance would seem to apply to delta-8, even if it’s not explicitly mentioned, but now the branch is putting the policy more clearly into writing.
The new regulations, first reported by Task & Purpose, specify that soldiers are banned from using controlled substance analogues, which include “synthetic cannabis and other tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) substitutes that have no known application other than mimicking the effects of THC in the human body.”
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