The British Army has launched an £18 million crackdown on drug use among its personnel, targeting cocaine, cannabis, steroids and synthetic highs such as spice — after a series of incidents raised serious concerns about the scale of substance misuse within the ranks.
The contract has been awarded to Somerset-based firm DNA Workplace, which will analyse up to 125,000 urine samples per year as part of a programme combining random testing with an education initiative on the dangers and consequences of drug use. The Army says testers must be able to provide “accurate details on what substance was used, and quantity” in order to determine the severity of each case.
The official contract document states the programme “is designed to reduce the incidence of substance misuse in the Armed Forces by detection and deterrence underpinned by education and policy,” adding that screening will extend beyond traditional recreational drugs to cover steroids and psychoactive substances — a reflection of growing alarm within the military about body image pressures and the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The scale of the problem was starkly illustrated in December when a major drug bust at Marne Barracks in Catterick, North Yorkshire, caught 23 personnel from 32 Engineer Regiment after around 250 troops were ordered to provide urine samples. Almost one in ten tested positive for cocaine — a ratio that shocked senior officers and accelerated calls for a more robust and systematic testing regime.
Senior figures are also increasingly concerned about steroid abuse among troops who have become heavily invested in bodybuilding culture, spending significant amounts of time lifting weights and turning to performance-enhancing substances to accelerate results. The inclusion of steroid screening in the new programme signals that the Army views this as a distinct and growing problem separate from recreational drug use.
The contract terms require random checks to be conducted across the Armed Forces, with samples dispatched for laboratory analysis. The Sun reported the details of the tender, which makes clear that both detection and deterrence are central to the strategy — with the education component intended to address the root causes of misuse rather than relying solely on punitive testing.
