Defence force chief Angus Houston has described as "completely baseless" reports Australian soldiers on tours of duty in Afghanistan are returning home as drug addicts.
The Sunday Telegraph claimed figures obtained under Freedom of Information revealed hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen have tested positive to a string of illegal drugs since troops were sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.
All random and targeted prohibited substance tests on soldiers deployed to Afghanistan since 2005 had produced negative results, defence said.
"On the basis of these results, today's story is completely baseless," Air Vice Marshal Houston said in a statement.
The defence force conducted 35,000 drug tests on its personnel between June 2005 and August 2009.
The average rate of positive results during that period was 1.54 per cent, it said.
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