WELSH GUARDS DISCHARGED OVER DRUGS

Seventeen of the Queen's Guards are to be discharged from the army after
testing positive for drugs.

The men, from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in Aldershot, Hampshire, which
often guards Buckingham Palace, all failed compulsory random drugs tests.

The 15 guardsmen and two lance corporals took a variety of substances,
including cannabis and ecstasy.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "I can confirm that 17 men have
tested positive for drugs which almost certainly means they will be
discharged from the Army."

'High figure'

He added: "Soldiers come across the same temptations as members of the public.

"We are never going to cut it out completely, but we do have a system for
detecting it.

"It is a high number, but you have to look at the average figures."

Over the past year, the percentage of tested force members who failed the
drugs check was 0.57%, compared with 5.2% of civilians in a similar test,
according to MoD statistics.

All members of the armed forces are tested randomly for drugs.