Understanding Trends
Article 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends
Analysis of the 2,171 Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial in the data that charged Article 112a (Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances).
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 112a
Analysis of the 2,171 Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial in the data that charged Article 112a (Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances).
By Service
- Army Article 112a Cases by the Numbers, 2021–2025
- Are Air Force Drug Courts-Martial Disappearing? Article 112a, 2016–2025
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Drug Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 112a, 2017–2025
Sentences
- What Sentence Follows an Army Drug Conviction?
- How Much Confinement for an Article 112a Conviction in the Air Force?
- How Much Confinement for an Article 112a Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps?
Contested Cases and Acquittals
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 112a Cases Acquitted?
- Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Drug Charge: How Contested Cases Ended
Guilty Pleas
- Guilty Pleas in Army Drug Cases: How Often, and What Came Next
- Pleading Guilty to Article 112a in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed?
- When Navy-Marine Corps Accused Plead Guilty to Drug
By Installation
- Did Drug Cases at Dyess AFB, Texas Change After 2019?
- Did Drug Cases at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Change After 2020?
- Did Drug Cases at McConnell AFB, Kansas Change After 2024?
- Did Drug Cases at Nellis AFB, Nevada Change After 2019?
- Drug Cases at Travis AFB, California: 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2022
- Did Drug Cases at Bremerton, Washington Change After 2019?
- Drug Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023
- Article 112a at Camp Pendleton, California Before and After 2019
- Article 112a at Camp Pendleton, California Before and After 2024
- Article 112a at Norfolk, Virginia Before and After 2019
- Drug Cases at San Diego, California: 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023
- Drug Cases at San Diego, California: 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026
- Article 112a Cases at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018: 25 Courts-Martial
- Article 112a Cases at Dyess AFB, Texas, 2019–2022: 21 Courts-Martial
- Article 112a Cases at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, 2017–2018: 26 Courts-Martial
- Drug Charges at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 2016–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences
- How McConnell AFB, Kansas Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2024–2026
- Article 112a Cases at Nellis AFB, Nevada, 2019–2023: 26 Courts-Martial
- 10 Drug Courts-Martial at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, 2016–2018: What the Records Show
- Article 112a Cases at Fort Bliss, 2021–2023: 20 Courts-Martial
- How Bremerton, Washington Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2013–2018
- How Bremerton, Washington Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2019–2023
- How Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2017–2018
- How Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2019–2023
- 42 Drug Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton, California, 2017–2018: What the Records Show
- 78 Drug Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton, California, 2019–2023: What the Records Show
- How Camp Pendleton, California Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2024–2026
- 20 Drug Courts-Martial at Jacksonville, Florida, 2013–2018: What the Records Show
- Article 112a Cases at Mayport, Florida, 2013–2018: 21 Courts-Martial
- How Norfolk, Virginia Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2013–2018
- Article 112a Cases at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023: 51 Courts-Martial
- How Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2014–2017
- Article 112a Cases at San Diego, California, 2013–2018: 85 Courts-Martial
- How San Diego, California Handled Drug Cases (Article 112a), 2019–2023
- Article 112a Cases at San Diego, California, 2024–2026: 24 Courts-Martial
Year by Year
- How Air Force Drug Cases Ended in 2016
- Air Force Article 112a Cases in 2017
- How Air Force Drug Cases Ended in 2018
- Drug at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2019: The Year in Numbers
- Drug at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2020: The Year in Numbers
- Air Force Article 112a Cases in 2021
- Air Force Article 112a Cases in 2022
- Drug at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2023: The Year in Numbers
- How Air Force Drug Cases Ended in 2024
- Drug at Air Force Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers
- Army Article 112a Cases in 2021
- How Army Drug Cases Ended in 2022
- Army Article 112a Cases in 2023
- How Army Drug Cases Ended in 2024
- Drug at Army Courts-Martial, 2025: The Year in Numbers
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 112a Cases in 2017
- Drug at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2018: The Year in Numbers
- How Navy-Marine Corps Drug Cases Ended in 2019
- Drug at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2020: The Year in Numbers
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 112a Cases in 2021
- How Navy-Marine Corps Drug Cases Ended in 2022
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 112a Cases in 2023
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 112a Cases in 2024
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 112a Cases in 2025
By Rank
- Army Drug Cases Against Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Outcomes and Sentences
- NCOs (E-5 to E-9) Charged Under Article 112a in the Army
- Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Charged Under Article 112a in the Air Force
- Air Force Drug Cases Against NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Outcomes and Sentences
- What Happens to Air Force Officers Facing Drug Charges?
- Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4) Charged Under Article 112a in the Navy-Marine Corps
- What Happens to Navy-Marine Corps NCOs (E-5 to E-9) Facing Drug Charges?
Charged Together With Other Articles
- Drug Plus Orders Violation: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 92
- When Article 112a and Article 81 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Drug Plus AWOL: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 86
- Drug Plus Assault: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 128
- When Article 107 and Article 112a Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Drug Plus Larceny: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 121
- Drug Plus General Article: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 134
- When Article 112a and Article 131b Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Drug Plus Attempt: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 80
- Drug Plus Disobeying An Officer: Courts-Martial Charging Articles 112a and 90
- Articles 112a and 82 in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- When Article 112a and Article 120 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- When Article 112a and Article 85 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- Articles 112a and 128b in the Same Case: What the Records Show
- When Article 112a and Article 87a Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- When Article 112a and Article 87 Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
- When Article 112a and Article 120c Are Charged Together, How Do Cases End?
Charged Together, by Service
- Army Cases Charging Both Article 112a and Article 121
- Army Cases Charging Both Article 112a and Article 92
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 112a and Article 120, 2021–2026
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 112a and Article 128, 2021–2026
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 112a and Article 128b, 2021–2026
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 112a and Article 134, 2021–2025
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 112a and Article 86, 2021–2026
- Army Courts-Martial With Article 112a and Article 90, 2021–2026
- Article 107 With Article 112a in the Army: What the Records Show
- Article 112a With Article 128 in the Navy and Marine Corps: What the Records Show
- Article 112a With Article 131b in the Army: What the Records Show
- Article 112a With Article 131b in the Navy and Marine Corps: What the Records Show
- Article 112a With Article 80 in the Army: What the Records Show
- Article 112a With Article 81 in the Army: What the Records Show
- Article 112a With Article 92 in the Navy and Marine Corps: What the Records Show
- Navy-Marine Corps Cases Charging Both Article 112a and Article 86
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 112a and Article 81, 2021–2026
Counsel of Record
- Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 112a Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- Army Trial Counsel in Contested Article 112a Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
Across the Services
Common Questions
What the offense covers: Article 112a on the law firm's website.
On the podcast: S3 E52: What You Need to Know About Positive UAs in the Military (members).
How this data was built: methodology and known gaps.
Compare: federal court. Federal Law Has No Crime of Drug Use: How Article 112a Cases Compare · Drug Distribution and Importation: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences, 2016–2025
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.