How Army Drug Cases Ended in 2022
The Army tried 62 courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug) in 2022. Only 21% were contested, compared with 36% for all Army cases. Of the 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (31%), lower than the 38% Army rate.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 112a › Army, 2022
Short answer: The Army tried 62 courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug) in 2022. Only 21% were contested, compared with 36% for all Army cases. Of the 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (31%), lower than the 38% Army rate. A punitive discharge followed 84% of enlisted convictions, compared with 76% Army-wide.
Punitive Discharges for Most Convicted Soldiers
Among enlisted members convicted in these drug cases, 84% received a punitive discharge: 41 bad-conduct and 6 dishonorable. That was higher than the 76% for all Army cases in 2022 and up from 79% for drug cases in 2021.
A bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge is part of the sentence a court-martial adjudges. Its officer equivalent is a dismissal, and neither of the 2 convicted officers or warrant officers here was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge can still be followed by an administrative separation, which falls outside these records.
The Median Term Was the Same as the Army's
Confinement was part of 90% of the 58 convictions, and the median term was 6 months, the same as the median for all Army cases in 2022. That was up from 4 months for drug cases in 2021.
Terms of 6 months to 1 year were more common here: 17 convictions (29%), compared with 16% Army-wide. Terms of more than one year were less common: 9 of 58 convictions (16%), compared with 27% for the Army. Of those, 2 reached 5 years or more.
Every figure here is an adjudged sentence, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and covering every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 6 | 10% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 26 | 45% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 17 | 29% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 7 | 12% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 3% | 7% |
From 2021 to 2022
The number of cases was about the same: 63 in 2021 and 62 in 2022. The contested share rose from 13% to 21%. The median confinement rose from 4 months to 6 months. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 79% to 84%.
The share of convictions with confinement stayed at 90%. General courts-martial were the same share of cases in both years: 49%. In a group this small, a few cases can change these figures. The changes show direction, not exact size.
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 63 | 62 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 13% | 21% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 8 | 4 of 13 |
| Convictions with confinement | 90% | 90% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 79% | 84% |
| General courts-martial | 49% | 49% |
Pleas, Agreements, and Contested Verdicts
Of 62 accused, 49 pleaded guilty and 13 contested at least one charge, a 21% contested share. Plea agreements are recorded for 46 of the 49 guilty pleas, and 3 have no entry. Army records report whether an agreement existed, not what it said.
Among the 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in full acquittal (31%), lower than the 38% across the Army. Another 8 ended in a partial acquittal, where the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Army findings are listed charge by charge, which makes split results common.
What Court Level Meant for Sentences
A general court-martial can adjudge any lawful sentence; a special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. This group had 30 general and 31 special courts-martial, with 1 not listed. General courts-martial were 49% of the cases with a court level listed, lower than the 75% Army-wide.
At general courts-martial, 93% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 10 months. At special courts-martial, 86% did, and the median was 4 months. Only the general level can go beyond one year.
Most of the Accused Were Junior Enlisted
By rank, 47 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 11 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 4 were officers or warrant officers. Across all Army cases in 2022, junior enlisted members made up 57%, so this group was more junior than all Army cases.
Other Charges in the Same Case
Drug charges stood alone in 20 of the 62 cases. In the other cases they were charged with Article 92 (orders violation) in 15, Article 81 (conspiracy) in 12, Article 128 (assault) in 9, Article 90 (disobeying an officer) in 8, and Article 121 (larceny) in 7. A sentence in a multi-charge case reflects all of its findings.
Panels and Installations
The accused usually chooses between a military judge alone and a panel of members. A judge alone decided 55 cases, and 11% of those with the forum listed went to members: 3 enlisted panels and 4 officer panels. Among contested cases, members heard 7 of 13 (54%).
Fort Bragg tried 10 of these cases, Fort Bliss 8, Fort Hood 7, Fort Huachuca 6, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord 5. Together, these 5 installations tried 58% of the 62. Larger installations try more cases of all kinds.
Limits of the Trial Records
Trial records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include the evidence or the plea terms. Drug use handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation does not appear in court-martial records.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 112a on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2022 that charged Article 112a (62 cases), compared with all Army cases that year and with 2021.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Army Article 112a Cases in 2021 (previous / next)
- Army Article 112a Cases in 2023 (previous / next)
- Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (the full trend)
- Drug at Army Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers
- How Army Drug Cases Ended in 2024
- What Sentence Follows an Army Drug Conviction?
- S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military (podcast, members)
- Article 112a explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial · Drug Distribution: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.