The US Army has quietly rewritten who is allowed to serve, and for the first time in a decade, a 42-year-old with a marijuana conviction can walk through the door.
An expedited revision to Army Regulation 601-210, the regulation governing the Army's enlistment programme, was published on 20 March 2026 and takes effect on 20 April. The update raises the maximum enlistment age from 35 to 42 across the Regular Army, the Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve, while simultaneously removing the waiver requirement for applicants with a single conviction for marijuana possession or drug paraphernalia.
