The growing number of states opting to legalize marijuana has left the US military attempting to balance its zero tolerance policy towards the plant with the changing tide of both law and public perception.
With Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia recently voting to legalize recreational marijuana use two years after Colorado and Washington passed their own referendums, the army has gone to great lengths to remind their troops that state law holds no sway for servicemen.
The military, as a federal institution, is governed by federal laws, under which marijuana possession remains a criminal offense. Use or possession of it also remains a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and can result in court martial.
