51,000 Discharged by Armed Forces for Drug Abuse; 92,000 Disciplined

The military services discharged 51,000 servicemen for misusing drugs and disciplined an additional 92,000 between 1983 and 1985, the Pentagon said Tuesday, holding out its campaign as a model for a crackdown that President Reagan has proposed for some government workers.

Dr. William Mayer, assistant defense secretary for health affairs, said the military’s war on drug abuse cost about $175 million a year.

President Reagan on Monday endorsed mandatory testing of government employees who “have the health of others, the safety of others, in their hands,” citing air traffic controllers as an example. People in the military services are subject to unannounced urine testing at any time.

Incidence of Abuse Drops

Mayer credited an emphasis on education and rehabilitation, as well as punishment, for forcing down the incidence of drug abuse from 27% of the active-duty force in 1980 to 8.9% in 1985.

He made public statistics that showed how sweeping enforcement activities have been.

In calendar years 1983, 1984 and 1985, 13,485 servicemen were court-martialed on drug charges, he said. During the same period, 51,000 other servicemen were discharged for drug use without court-martials, and an additional 79,000 were disciplined but allowed to remain in the service.

In 1985 alone, he added, about 27,000 servicemen were offered some form of rehabilitation.