How do I become a Merchant Mariner?

Merchant mariner credential question?

• What type of drug test do they do to become a merchant mariner? Is it a pre test or a hair follicle or blood. My bf just smokes weed occasionally but he wants to quit in advance ...show more

• Answer:

  They will test whatever it is they test to disqualify candidates. This isn't Ring-Around-The-Rosy, sister. If your drug-using boyfriend manages to slime his way through, he will get many more opportunities to fail integrity tests. And if by some miracle he does make it in and graduates, you will be surprised at his choice. Most graduates of the Merchant Marine Academy choose to become pilots in the Marine Corps. But not if a high school friend of his tells the FBI they saw him smoking pot when they do a security screening. Seriously. They don't want those who quit doing drugs in order to make something of themselves. They want perfect specimens of integrity, period. If he smokes and/or smoked in the past, they will find out and that's that. If his 15 year old sister got him stoned when he was 10, they will know about that, too.