conditional discharge and joining the coast guard

[jeepspeed732]

A year ago I was found guilty on a first time offense in NJ for possession of Marijuana. I was let off on conditional discharge and a small fine. I was never told how long probation was for, the judge just said "stay out of trouble". I am now tying to join the coast guard. I am aware of this not being on my record with non government jobs, but will it effect me joining? On the site it mentions as a requirement to not have committed a felony. Is this considered one? Thank You.

 

[lifeandthelaw]

A felony drug charge is often based on the amount of marijuana in your possession. Without the specific penalty section which you violated, it is nearly impossible for a total stranger (such as myself or anyone else) to determine if your offense was a misdemeanor or felony.

A conditional discharge sounds like a first-time offenders program agreement. If you met all of the requirements of that program (such as paying the fine and "staying out of trouble"), the charge against you was (by the sounds of it) dismissed, which would mean that you have never been convicted of (nor plead guilty to) the underlying charge, be it felony or otherwise. If you had subsequently been arrested or charged with another crime, you could potentially face the reappearance of the first charge, hence the "conditional" part of the discharge.

Taking a leap of faith and your statement of the facts, it does not appear that you have had any subsequent charges, and therefore you should have no problem with the Coast Guard.