ACADEMY TO HIKE RANDOM DRUG TESTS OF CADETS

Air Force Academy officials plan to increase random drug tests in the wake
of a scandal that has seen 14 cadets implicated in the use of marijuana,
LSD and other illegal substances.

The move came amid questions about the number of cadets subjected to the
random tests, which were raised after the investigation came to light.

"We take it pretty seriously," said Neil Talbott, chief of media relations.
"We are not going to put up with this stuff."

The investigation, which began last fall, has looked at 35 cadets:

Stephen Pouncy, a senior, may face a court-martial and up to 55 years in
prison after being accused of using cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and
methamphetamines. He is accused of distributing drugs, too.

Pouncy is one of 14 cadets under investigation in the probe, which has
uncovered evidence marijuana, LSD, ecstasy and a body-building drug known
as Blue Nitro or Verve were being used.

One of those 14 cadets has dropped out of the academy.

Twelve cadets were investigated and cleared.

Nine cadets were disciplined for knowing about drug use and failing to
report it. Their punishment could range from probation to extra marching.

U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard has called for an investigation into the way the
academy has conducted random drug tests.

Talbott said academy officials have randomly tested 2,500 to 2,700 cadets a
year. That has satisfied an Air Force rule requiring that 65 percent of the
cadet population be randomly tested for drugs each year.

But Talbott also acknowledged that the tests weren't frequently conducted
on weekends.

Ecstasy, a popular drug at all-night "rave" parties, leaves the body
quickly and might not be detected a couple of days later.

As a result, Talbott said, the academy not only will be conducting more
tests, but also will order them more often on weekends.