Waivers and public record question

[troto714]

Hi,
I have been reading on this forum for quite some time and even though this is my first post I have learned a great deal from the other posters here. Although there are plenty of questions regarding drug waivers for OCS on this forum, the question I have is slightly different (unless I simply failed to find a previous post with this information).

Anyway, like some others on this forum, I have made some choices in my past that I am not particularly proud of by experimenting with drugs. I am going to be 100% honest on my application, and if they deny me then so be it. However, what concerns me is if the information I disclose could possibly come up later down the road if I ever apply for a civilian job with a thorough background check that normally would not. I am not looking to make a career out of the military and would eventually like to go to law school and become an attorney. In essence I could be competing with another person who could have done the same things as me, but because I disclosed with the military my use is on record and theirs is not.

Does anyone know if my concern is realistic and if the information I provide is public record? Thank you very much in advance.

 

[marmoset54]

I am not looking to make a career out of the military and would eventually like to go to law school and become an attorney.

Did you graduate 50% of your class? CHECK!

Did you pass the bar? CHECK!

No worries.

 

[OnTopTime]

Hi,
However, what concerns me is if the information I disclose could possibly come up later down the road if I ever apply for a civilian job with a thorough background check that normally would not. I am not looking to make a career out of the military and would eventually like to go to law school and become an attorney. In essence I could be competing with another person who could have done the same things as me, but because I disclosed with the military my use is on record and theirs is not.

Does anyone know if my concern is realistic and if the information I provide is public record? Thank you very much in advance.

I don't think that an OCS application becomes a matter of publc record. That being said, whether it's an OCS application, a law school application or an application to sit for a bar exam, you should always strive to answer all questions honestly and without evasion. If you dissemble or purposely exclude pertinent information that is requested, and that fact is later discovered, you will have a very hard time recovering, if you do at all.

My law school application asked about arrests and convictions (even for speeding tickets), but did not ask about prior (or even current) illegal drug use that never came to the attention of the authorities. And while the 31 page application to sit for my state's bar exam asked about current illegal drug use and prior arrests or convictions as an adult, it did not ask if the applicant had a prior history of illegal drug use.

If what you're concerned about is really just "experimenting," and not hard-core use over an extended period of time or dealing/supplying to others, than I don't think that you have anything to worry about, either on an OCS application or in getting into the legal profession.