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Will previous Marijuana possession and paraphernalia charges end my dreams?

Asked by: 1556 views , , ,
Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations, Student Pilot

When I was 19 I was pulled over on my motorcycle for speeding. 

Upon being searched I was found in possession of a small amount of marijuana and a pipe.  I received a written arrest and I went through a pre-trial diversion program and had the case sealed with a no-contest and court fees. 

I am now nearly 28 and want to become a professional pilot though an accelerated program like ATP. 

Will my prior convictions bring everything to a halt and put an end to my dreams? 
If it’s not an issue with the FAA, would airlines even touch me?

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1 Answers



  1. Bryan on Jul 12, 2022

    The FAA bars you from receiving a pilot certificate or exercising the privileges of one within a year of a conviction under 14 CFR 61.15(a). You are well outside of that. You may have to explain what happened and convince someone (time and time again) that the issue is in the past. But you should be able to get a pilot certificate.

    Having said that, I think your instinct to wonder what the airlines will do is good…because insurance companies and the airlines themselves are usually more restrictive than the FAA regarding who can act as pilot in command.

    My suggestion would be to talk directly with a recruiter for an airline to get a better sense for how they would see it. Dumping $100k into flight training only to find out that nobody will pay you to fly would not be the best experience.

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