Legal Question in Criminal Law in Georgia

As a lawyer and part time judge I often warn people that even "minor" crimes can pretty much make someone unemployable. That especially can be true with theft, as employers are likely to fear that. I do think second chances matter, but the warning matters too,because inthe real world employers do background checks,and with a tight job market, they can be picky.

Without knowing the code section you were charged under I can't address what "category" your crime is, as quite a few charges could arise in a drug case. The sad reality is that any drug charge is going to probably affect future employment opportunities. Hopefully you will run into folks that do look past your past. Get all the education and job training that you can, stay out of future trouble, and the more stable things are (even things like credit history, paying rent on time, homeownership, etc) the better you look to employers, etc. Be honest if you get asked in interviews and applications and think out in advance how you want to talk about it,so you do your best.

I wish you the best going forward. When I give my caution, it's not an absolute, but one reason I do is that it's a real problem. Also, with a lawyer at the time, sometimes you could have avoided a conviction on your record. Again, you can't fix the past, but doyour best to prepare. I wish you the best.