Dear Roadie:
My son finished his junior year in the top 10 percent of his high school class. He also was named an all-state quarterback. So far, so good, right? Here’s the problem: He was arrested two months ago for a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession. His father and I have had several serious talks about what this could mean for his future. I’m beside myself. How should we handle this with colleges that are scouting him?
– Hoping to Keep Things Quiet
Dear Hoping to Keep Things Quiet,
Your son is not the first high school student to be caught smoking weed and he certainly won’t be the last. Research shows that nearly a third of high school seniors report having used cannabis in the past year — and that’s just those who admit it.
Your son’s choice to smoke marijuana is also not a reflection of you or your parenting skills. It’s part of being an experimental teenager, and it sounds like you and your husband are doing the right thing by talking to him about the perils of falling into habitual drug use, especially since he is hoping to be a college athlete.
Colleges aren’t legally required to ask about your criminal background, though they certainly can if they choose to. As a result, some do and some don’t. The Common App, which allows students to apply to any of its 1,000-plus member colleges with one form, removed a question about criminal history in its application back in 2019. But that doesn’t mean individual schools won’t ask about it.
There’s no need to panic, but it may be prudent to speak to a lawyer for some guidance on what to say and how, whether your son is asked about past charges or not. For now, I wouldn’t worry too much about how this is going to affect his college applications or his chances of getting scouted to play football. It is a misdemeanor charge and not a felony, after all.
Drug Use Among College Athletes
But if he’s planning on playing football in college, he’d be smart to avoid any more experimenting. The last thing he needs is for this to escalate to an actual conviction or a more serious charge, in which case he will likely have to disclose it, if not to the college itself on his application, then to the athletic department.
If he were charged with an actual felony and received a conviction on his record, it would be within the school’s and the athletic department’s right to choose not to accept him—or even to rescind an offer of admission. But a misdemeanor makes this far less likely.
It bears mention that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has an extensive drug policy and testing program, and college athletes can be tested at any time, either by the NCAA or the institution where they play. You can read all about the latest NCAA Drug Testing policy here. I’d encourage your son to read it, too.
The best thing you can do is educate your son about the potential pitfalls of any kind of drug use. Studies have found that high school students who use cannabis products miss more school and have lower grades compared to students who don’t. Marijuana is not addictive, but it is habitual, which makes smoking weed a slippery slope.
Keep in mind that if he is ever asked about his past, whether it be on a college application form or something else, it’s best to answer honestly. Simply disclosing a charge would not necessarily disqualify a student, but trying to conceal something may eventually catch up with him.
Right now it doesn’t sound like there’s much to worry about. So long as your son learns something from this experience and makes good choices going forward, he should be just fine, whether he plays sports in college or not.
Have a perplexing college question? Email Dear Roadie for advice at dearroadie@road2college.com
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