US EditionArmy Ups Maximum Enlistment Age to 42, Relaxes Rules on Recruiting Drug Convicts
The Army aims to widen recruitment by raising the enlistment age to 42 and allowing single marijuana possession convictions without a waiver, effective April 20, 2026.
- The Army will raise its maximum enlistment age to 42 and eliminate waiver requirements for single marijuana-related convictions starting April 20, 2026, according to updates to Army Regulation 601-210.
- Col. Angela Chipman, chief of the military personnel accessions and retention division, said the service seeks mature recruits to bolster the Warrant Officer Corps with technical expertise.
- Previously, applicants faced Pentagon waiver requirements and delays of up to two years for single marijuana-related convictions, a bureaucratic hurdle the service is now removing.
- Kate Kuzminski, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, noted the policy "accounts for changes in society," while social media users highlighted the April 20 effective date's cultural associations.
- While easing entry rules, the Army maintains strict standards for felonious behavior, and serving soldiers remain subject to zero-tolerance drug policies, with officials noting recruits with multiple convictions still require waivers.
128 Articles
128 Articles
Army raises enlistment age limit to 42 and eases marijuana rules
The United States Army has officially raised its enlistment age limit to 42 from 35 and eased restrictions for people with marijuana convictions, a move that comes years after a period in which it struggled to meet its recruitment goals and as the country is engaged in a war with Iran.
'The Daily Show' Roasts Army for Changing Enlistment Age Limit, Marijuana Rules Amid Iran War: 'We Must Be Desperate'
“The Daily Show” roasted the U.S. Army’s decision to extend the enlistment age and relax marijuana rules amid the Iran war, suggesting the moves signal the country is “desperate.” Host Josh Johnson weighed in on the war update during Wednesday’s monologue, where he called out President Donald Trump for claiming the conflict had already been “won” as the U.S. sent troops to Iran and launched new recruitment efforts. “We’re sending more troops? Th…
Recruitment to the Army now extends to civilians up to 42 years of age and even includes people convicted of marijuana possession.
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