Marijuana possession misdemeanor

[Hanthefarmer]

Hi all. This is a new account for anonymity's sake.

Looking for some advice. I was caught with marijuana a few weeks ago and took a plea deal for probation without verdict which means that the offense will be completely expunged after about a year. I made a mistake and will unfortunately have to live with the consequences. My lawyers basically said you can either disclose or withdraw all your applications and reapply after it gets expunged.


However, I have already applied and interviewed at 2 solid medical schools. Obviously I will be forthcoming and admit my mistakes and shortcomings and how it will never happen again. I have excellent ecs, grade, and test scores. (LizzyM of 75-76) Between my gut reaction to be honest and my lawyer's advice what would you guys suggest. This is my first offense and I have never been in trouble with the law before unless you count things like jaywalking. The general consensus that I see on sdn is that in general simple possession isn't the biggest deal but I'm also worried about how recent it is.

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[hophophop]

Edited to delete as below the answer is best for AMCAS rules! See "7+ year member" gonnif reply

Mine was long winded and didn't state AMCAS direct position.

Good luck!

 

[hophophop]

by AMCAS rules that you have agreed to you have 10 days to notify any school that you have applied to of any conviction or plea

see AMCAS instructions page 23
https://aamc-orange.global.ssl.fast...278-2edb3998a216/amcas_instruction_manual.pdf

Wanted to state this but didn't remember where it was! And didn't want to be wrong on the 10 day disclosure. Thanks for posting!

 

[benjamin94559]

I think the question was should he withdraw in 10 days and try to bury it or not.

Its a difficult situation. No real good answer but I would say just be open about it and pray.

 

[hophophop]

No, dont withdraw, it isnt that major of a crime, its just doing something stupid that isn't likely to get you rejected.

Agreed, no need to withdraw. When you write the schools, state the facts and keep it simple. Do consult your lawyer on writing it, best advice I can give there since you have one.

 

[Moose A Moose]

I would disclose. To each their own.

 

[JustAPhD]

Disclose. If you withdraw and reapply you'll face questions next year about why you decided to withdraw your apps at this point in the cycle.

 

[Hanthefarmer]

I forgot to mention this but I am a MMJ patient in CA. Granted I know its still illegal under federal law and the state where I was in trouble in. Do you think I should mention that or does it come off as making excuses?

 

[Dagrimsta1]

This has been an extremely informative thread...

 

[hophophop]

I forgot to mention this but I am a MMJ patient in CA. Granted I know its still illegal under federal law and the state where I was in trouble in. Do you think I should mention that or does it come off as making excuses?

Again, I believe this is something to speak to your lawyer about. The card is a valid legal medical reason, but to break the rules/law of the state you were in shows the bad judgement, but owning it is mature and will reflect more positively. Sure, the card shows context to your reason to have marijuana. But MMJ patients information is protected, so you do not need to disclose it if you do not wish to.

I showed this thread to my SO whom is a criminal defense lawyer (as is my mother). He bluntly stated, consult your lawyer. The law of the land is not the same across state boarders. It is not the same even across counties in a state. There are only a couple of states that you are protected by with your California MMJ card but they have caveats and I suggest you research them individually: Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Oregon.

Example: In Arizona, where I am from, and MMJ is legal, the card does protect you to an extent. You can't be arrested in your home, but you can't smoke in public.

consult your lawyer and move forward

 

[Hanthefarmer]

Again, I believe this is something to speak to your lawyer about. The card is a valid legal medical reason, but to break the rules/law of the state you were in shows the bad judgement, but owning it is mature and will reflect more positively. Sure, the card shows context to your reason to have marijuana. But MMJ patients information is protected, so you do not need to disclose it if you do not wish to.

I showed this thread to my SO whom is a criminal defense lawyer (as is my mother). He bluntly stated, consult your lawyer. The law of the land is not the same across state boarders. It is not the same even across counties in a state. There are only a couple of states that you are protected by with your California MMJ card but they have caveats and I suggest you research them individually: Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Oregon.

Example: In Arizona, where I am from, and MMJ is legal, the card does protect you to an extent. You can't be arrested in your home, but you can't smoke in public.

consult your lawyer and move forward

The criminal charge is over and my lawyer said I have to disclose it. I was more asking in the context of how ADCOMs would perceive me mentioning the recommendation as an excuse and not fully owning up to my mistake or as a mitigating factor.

 

[hophophop]

The criminal charge is over and my lawyer said I have to disclose it. I was more asking in the context of how ADCOMs would perceive me mentioning the recommendation as an excuse and not fully owning up to my mistake or as a mitigating factor.

Hope you didn't take my post the wrong way, I was actually answering in the context of ADCOMs. Sorry if I was not clear. To me, mentioning the card, I do not believe will be an excuse. I personally think it gives context to you (dependent on how you best explain it) but the letter shouldn't rest on that fact alone. So mentioning it and owning up to what occurred, can co-exist easily. Although I do not know you, I have confidence that all will be well.

In my current job, at a dept of health, I have seen various applicants to federal positions with a misdemeanor charge. We don't view them any less and view them in that fair light when they explain and own the incident: facts, dates, apologize. I know this is not in the context of a medical admin, but it is in context of federal and state health, with a black box disclosure of ALL date ranges (even expunged) and background check. The applicants and employees have done just as well.

 

[Hanthefarmer]

Hope you didn't take my post the wrong way, I was actually answering in the context of ADCOMs. Sorry if I was not clear. To me, mentioning the card, I do not believe will be an excuse. I personally think it gives context to you (dependent on how you best explain it) but the letter shouldn't rest on that fact alone. So mentioning it and owning up to what occurred, can co-exist easily. Although I do not know you, I have confidence that all will be well.

In my current job, at a dept of health, I have seen various applicants to federal positions with a misdemeanor charge. We don't view them any less and view them in that fair light when they explain and own the incident: facts, dates, apologize. I know this is not in the context of a medical admin, but it is in context of federal and state health, with a black box disclosure of ALL date ranges (even expunged) and background check. The applicants and employees have done just as well.

Thanks for clearing that up! No I wasnt offended or anything, I just misunderstood as we all sometimes do with pure text communications. Thanks for the advice all!

 

[AnotherLawyer]

Hi all. This is a new account for anonymity's sake.

Looking for some advice. I was caught with marijuana a few weeks ago and took a plea deal for probation without verdict which means that the offense will be completely expunged after about a year. I made a mistake and will unfortunately have to live with the consequences. My lawyers basically said you can either disclose or withdraw all your applications and reapply after it gets expunged.


However, I have already applied and interviewed at 2 solid medical schools. Obviously I will be forthcoming and admit my mistakes and shortcomings and how it will never happen again. I have excellent ecs, grade, and test scores. (LizzyM of 75-76) Between my gut reaction to be honest and my lawyer's advice what would you guys suggest. This is my first offense and I have never been in trouble with the law before unless you count things like jaywalking. The general consensus that I see on sdn is that in general simple possession isn't the biggest deal but I'm also worried about how recent it is.

Don't overthink this. You pled guilty to a misdemeanor offense and the rules say you have to disclose that. End of story.

 

[Visible Ghost]

Hi all. This is a new account for anonymity's sake.

Looking for some advice. I was caught with marijuana a few weeks ago and took a plea deal for probation without verdict which means that the offense will be completely expunged after about a year. I made a mistake and will unfortunately have to live with the consequences. My lawyers basically said you can either disclose or withdraw all your applications and reapply after it gets expunged.


However, I have already applied and interviewed at 2 solid medical schools. Obviously I will be forthcoming and admit my mistakes and shortcomings and how it will never happen again. I have excellent ecs, grade, and test scores. (LizzyM of 75-76) Between my gut reaction to be honest and my lawyer's advice what would you guys suggest. This is my first offense and I have never been in trouble with the law before unless you count things like jaywalking. The general consensus that I see on sdn is that in general simple possession isn't the biggest deal but I'm also worried about how recent it is.

All those years of hard work are not worth the risk of applying with a recent misdemeanor for pot possession .

I would withdraw my apps for unforeseen circumstances (if they ask). This is definitely not something you want to tell the med schools about, and they are looking for reasons to reject applicants who have great stats. The misdemeanor will just make their job easier. I doubt they really spend as much time being 'understanding' and they will probably say the pot smoking could carry on in medical school, AND they have perfectly legitimate reasons to hold that view.

If this is a one off, then tough luck, but if you really do blaze often, you should think of another career

 

[Hanthefarmer]

One more q, would anyone recommend that I contact my interviewers about this incident? Do you think they could be of any help?

 

[hophophop]

One more q, would anyone recommend that I contact my interviewers about this incident? Do you think they could be of any help?

I would personally not as it is going to be formally submitted to the AMCAS schools anyways . I think this is more like "keep personal out of professional" arena. Your interviewers were more personal and AMCAS is your professional. But that is just me, I err on the side of caution and think in terms of like HR- you disclose to the correct entity, not all entities-like I would tell HR (AMCAS school) but not my employees or boss (interviewer). Not everyone is privy to your charge and not everyone has to know. Go the route AMCAS states to informing schools properly.

If you wish to seek help on disclosure and or assurance, ask fellow medical students or physicians if they know anyone in a similar situation/experienced one, if you feel comfortable disclosing it to them in an effort to get help.