U.S. Army To Raise Enlistment Age, Change Marijuana Conviction Policy

The U.S. Army will raise the maximum enlistment age from 34 to 42, aligning the policy with other military branches.

It will also eliminate waiver requirements for a single conviction of possession of marijuana.

The changes go into effect on April 20.

JUST IN – Effective April 20, 2026, the U.S. Army is increasing the maximum enlistment age from 34 to 42 and eliminating waiver requirements for a single conviction of possession of marijuana. pic.twitter.com/QWtUf2b7Y7

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) March 24, 2026

Stars and Stripes explained further:

Individuals up to 42 with or without prior military service can enlist in the Regular Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserves, according to the updated Army Regulation 601-210 published March 20. AR 601-210 is the regulation that governs policies and procedures for the Army’s enlistment process.

The Army in recent years had capped the enlistment age at 35, although it did accept some older recruits with waivers, officials said. The policy did not change the Army’s minimum ages for enlisting, which remain 17 with parental permission or 18.

The updated enlistment age brings the Army in line with the Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard, which all accept recruits up to 42. The Navy accepts recruits up to 41, and the Marine Corps only accepts enlisted recruits up to 28 years old.

It is not the first time the Army has accepted older recruits. The service temporarily increased its maximum enlistment age to 42 in 2006 as it struggled to fill its ranks amid major combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The service dropped its enlistment age back to 35 in 2016.

An Army spokesperson told the outlet that the policy change is meant to better align the service with Department of Defense standards.

Recruits who have a single marijuana possession or drug paraphernalia possession conviction can now enlist without a waiver.

Although recruits with such convictions were often granted waivers before, they would technically prevent people from enlisting.

JUST IN: 🇺🇸 US Army raises maximum enlistment age from 34 to 42, and removes waiver requirement for single marijuana possession conviction. pic.twitter.com/SK5W3iEdzu

— Remarks (@remarks) March 24, 2026

Task & Purpose has more:

Recruits also previously had to wait 24 months to enlist, and would have to pass a drug test at a Military Entrance Processing Stations facility before their waiver could be approved.

Kuzminski said the waiver modification “accounts for changes in society.” She noted that the change is for a single offense but that recruits with a “pattern” of convictions or behavior would still need a waiver.

“The updated regulation allows for one mistake, which likely represents the bulk of potential recruits considering service in the Army,” Kuzminski said. “Reducing the number of characteristics that need to be reviewed for waivers frees up capacity for other candidates who need waivers, thus speeding up the process across the board and helping to ensure that the Army does not lose interested candidates.”

The looser approach to marijuana use comes as the broader military tightens its drug policies for troops currently serving. In recent years, the military added psychedelic mushrooms and products with kratom and related substances to its list of banned substances. Earlier this week, the Army said it will begin flagging all soldiers with positive drug tests — not just those with security clearances — to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.

And both Republican and Democratic in Congress have signaled a more lenient approach to recruits’ marijuana use — which is legal for recreational use in almost half of the U.S. and legal for medical use in the majority of states.

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