Drug Convictions Come With Potentially Devastating Consequences

Drug convictions come with harsh penalties that can impact your immediate future. These convictions can also affect your life for the long term if they are felony convictions. If you are facing a drug charge, you need to think carefully about the effects that you might face.

Even though you can’t predict the future, you can still see the ways that a conviction might affect your life by taking a look at people who were convicted in the past. Here are some points for you to consider if you are facing a drug charge:

Career Moves Might Be Hard

There are several aspects of your career that might be impacted by a felony drug conviction. If you are currently employed, you may not be allowed to stay at your job because of the conviction. Even if you do get to keep your job, you may be passed over for promotions. People who don’t currently have a job may find it hard to get a foot in the door somewhere. They might have to take a position that they are overqualified for just to be able to get into the company with the hope of being able to move up within the organization.

Volunteer Opportunities Are Limited

Even volunteer positions might be limited by your conviction. Some volunteer positions, such as those that involve working with children, require a background check. As sad as it is, you may not be able to help your community out in the ways you want just because of the mistake you made with drugs.

Housing Can Prove Challenging

Some rental companies require background checks before they will allow people to rent from this. You could face some difficulties with being able to find a suitable place to live unless you are able to purchase a home or find a landlord who is willing to overlook the criminal mark on your record.

Public Assistance Might Be Off the Table

Some public assistance program, including housing programs and other lifelines for people at or below the poverty line, won’t approve benefits to people who have a criminal record. In some cases, the programs are specifically forbidden from issuing benefits to people who have a drug conviction. The block on benefits might expire after a certain period, such as 10 years.

Implied Rights Are Revoked

Some things that people think of as rights can be revoked with a drug conviction. The right to vote and right to bear arms are two of these. As you can imagine, losing your rights for life because of one mistake is a harsh reality for many people.