How Army Drug Cases Ended in 2024
Of 37 Army courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug) in 2024, only 8% were contested, compared with 27% for all Army cases. A punitive discharge was adjudged in 87% of enlisted convictions, higher than the 72% service-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 112a › Army, 2024
Short answer: Of 37 Army courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug) in 2024, only 8% were contested, compared with 27% for all Army cases. A punitive discharge was adjudged in 87% of enlisted convictions, higher than the 72% service-wide. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the Army median.
More Punitive Discharges Than the Army Rate
A bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge was adjudged in 87% of enlisted convictions (24 bad-conduct, 3 dishonorable), compared with 72% for all Army cases. In 2023 the rate for drug cases was 74%.
A punitive discharge is adjudged as part of the court-martial sentence; for officers the equivalent is a dismissal. Of 4 convicted officers or warrant officers, 3 were dismissed. Anyone sentenced without a punitive discharge can still face an administrative separation later. These records do not cover administrative separations.
Only 3 Cases Were Contested
There were 34 guilty pleas and 3 contested cases. A contested case is one with a not-guilty plea to at least one charge. The 8% contested share was lower than the 27% for all Army cases and lower than the 15% for drug cases in 2023.
Plea agreements are recorded for 32 of the 34 guilty pleas, and 2 have no entry. The Army records show whether there was an agreement but not its terms. Of the 3 contested cases, 2 ended in a full acquittal. That count is too small to read as a rate.
More Terms Between 6 Months and 1 Year
Of 35 convictions, 32 included confinement (91%). The median was 6 months, the same as the median for all Army cases in 2024.
The distribution of terms was different from the Army as a whole. Terms of 6 months to 1 year were given in 13 convictions (37%), compared with 15% Army-wide. Terms over one year were given in 5 of 35 convictions (14%), compared with 28%. None was 5 years or more. Across the Army, 7% of convictions were 5 years or more.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each reflects every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 9% | 13% |
| Under 6 months | 14 | 40% | 43% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 13 | 37% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 14% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 7% |
What Changed From 2023
The number of cases went from 39 to 37. Punitive discharges rose from 74% to 87%. General courts-martial rose from 51% to 68% of cases. The contested share fell from 15% to 8%. The median confinement stayed at 6 months, and convictions with confinement went from 89% to 91%.
In small groups, a few cases can change any figure. The changes show direction, not exact size.
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 39 | 37 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 15% | 8% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 6 | 2 of 3 |
| Convictions with confinement | 89% | 91% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 74% | 87% |
| General courts-martial | 54% | 68% |
More Cases at the General Level
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge; a special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement. General courts-martial made up 68% of these cases (25 of 37), and special courts-martial the remaining 12.
The median confinement was 7 months at general courts-martial and 5 months at special courts-martial. Both levels had an 8% contested share.
Other Charges, Including Domestic Violence
Article 112a was the only charge in 11 of 37 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) was also charged in 10, Article 90 (disobeying an officer) and Article 128b (domestic violence) in 6 each, Article 134 (general article) in 5, and Article 121 (larceny) in 4.
Because each sentence covers every finding, a term in a case that also charged domestic violence cannot be attributed to the drug charge alone.
Rank, Forum, and Installation
By rank, 24 accused were junior enlisted, 9 were NCOs, and 4 were officers. The group was more junior than all Army cases in 2024.
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone decided 35 cases. Only 3% of cases with the forum listed went to members: 1 officer panel. Nearly all of these cases were guilty pleas.
Fort Hood tried 5 of these cases. Fort Bliss, Fort Carson, and Fort Riley tried 4 each, and Fort Leonard Wood tried 2. Together they tried 51% of the 37.
New Rules, Unknown Offense Dates
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel rather than commanders decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding involves an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. As a result, 2024 trials include cases under both sets of rules. The records cannot show whether either rule affected these results.
Beyond the Records
The data covers January 2024 to November 2024. It does not include the evidence, plea terms, or drug cases resolved through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
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 2024 that charged Article 112a (37 cases), compared with all Army cases that year and with 2023.
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 2023 (previous / next)
- Drug at Army Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025 (the full trend)
- Army Article 112a Cases in 2021
- How Army Drug Cases Ended in 2022
- 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.