The Army came up nearly 11,000 short of its yearly recruiting goals for active-duty and Reserve troops in 2018, but that doesn’t mean the service will get hip to Colorado’s legalized weed.
Around the globe, armed forces, most notably Canada’s, have softened their stance on marijuana as legalization movements grow in strength. But the U.S. Army says it will stick with its prohibition, despite marijuana being essentially legal in 33 of the 50 states. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, which still defines it as a controlled substance.
“We are going to stand our ground,” said Brig. Gen. Jason Walrath, the No. 2 general at Army Recruiting Command.
Walrath traveled through Colorado last week in a bid to boost recruiting here. Recruiters could use the help: For the fiscal year that ended Oct. 1, the Army was short on active-duty enlistments by 6,528 and Reserve enlistments by 4,273. Those shortfalls came even as the Army boosted enlistment bonuses, offering troops as much as $40,000 for signing up.
It’s not unusual for recruiting efforts to falter when the economy is strong. In the mid-2000s, as corporate payrolls soared along with Wall Street, the Army had difficulty filling its ranks.
