> They're going to talk to your friends and neighbors and there's a good chance they'll find out. They're going to talk to the three friends you listed on your

> They're going to talk to your friends and neighbors and there's a good chance they'll find out. They're going to talk to the three friends you listed on your SF-86 and your former landlords at the address listed. Many people seem to think that SSBI investigations consist of, like, the Stasi slapping people around in basements trying to find out what people are hiding. Far from it. If you don't have an arrest record and were discreet about your prior drug use (ie not putting it on social media) and your friends have common sense, you have little to worry about. The process is a lot more about confirming that you lived where you said you did / had no contact with foreign agents than it is about uncovering prior drug use. Anecdotally, it is very common for people to get a waiver for "occasional experimentation with marijuana in high school" when in fact they were enthusiastic recreational drug users for years. As far as drug use goes, SSBIs are essentially a Potemkin process. Given the extent to which selective amnesia is prevalent among SCI applicants, I think it would make sense to reform the process so that applicants can be fully transparent and forgiven for their past transgressions as long as they piss clean.