I'm kind of new to this thing but here goes...
I am currently a college sophmore and I used to use marijuana, I tried it a couple times in junior high and then used it from my senior year of high school through my first semester in college. I only used it somewhat frequently for a period of a couple months then quit altogether. I have no criminal history, traffic violations, but I was fired from a job for giving away free stuff to my brother when I was 16. I have done minor things at my other places of employment from the age of about 16-17 like take candy from a concession stand, steal a couple of stupid things like air horns (I was a lifeguard) and so on. I have not done anything but the marijuana since I was 18 and I will be in school for another two years. Anyway, I guess I am just wondering are these things enough to get me disqualified on the polygraph and background check? (sorry this is rambling)
rossn12,
Remeber that the departments expect for you to be human. We have all made mistakes, and they don't expect you to come in with a flawless background. Things that you have done when you were younger probably will not be weighed as heavy as the mistakes that have most recently occured. Most departments have a policy that if you haven't smoked marijuana with-in the last year you won't be disqualified. The only thing you must remeber is that all departments have a cut-off as to what they consider "experimentation". What I understand is that police departments normally have a higher cut-off than, say for instance, the FBI. The FBI states that more than 15 times is an automatic disqualifier. The police departments tend to be a little more protective of their cut-off information. I think they feel that if they tell the number, then people will lie, but if they keep a secret, they can better make a decision on whether to keep you or not. My advice is to continue NOT smoking marijuana, and don't worry too much about mistakes you made when you were a kid. Study this website and be ready for the polygraph, and I'll bet everything will fall into place.
Thanks a ton, I was really worried about the whole thing and unfortunately I can't go back and change anything I did or I would. It just makes me feel a little better to get some feedback. Thanks so much!