i got sued for not paying rent still have not paid it. then i got a ticket for marijuana less than half an ounce an i missed this court date cops found nothing on my record an stated i would probably get first offender’s program. what are my options i missed this date 2 days ago.
Hey Jim! Happy to weigh in on this. Can you tell me where it all happened (state/county)? Frequently there are diversion programs for small amounts of marijuana. In NC there is a program created by statute called “90-96”. Basically it says that if it’s your first marijuana charge, and it’s a misdemeanor, you can do a drug class and, provided you do not get charged with other stuff, the charges will be dismissed against you after some period of time (I believe it’s a year). I believe there are diversion programs in other parts of the country as well. The attitude these days seems to be, “educate, not punish”, at least for the first offenders. I should also mention that even if a “formal” program doesn’t exist where you are, a good lawyer might still be able to work out a deal with the DA such that after classes and/or community service (etc) the charges will be dismissed.
