[radlad]

Your last paragraph and comment down-thread I think discounts both the many ways the legal system and drug use are entangled, and the reality of how job hiring works.

It has been my anecdotal observation that it is more common for small, local businesses to "look past" prior convictions when hiring and be more willing to take chances on their neighbors.

Large corporations with big HR and legal departments typically have a dimmer view of things however.

Right or wrong, it is harder to get a job with a past conviction. Without a job, it is difficult to earn a living, feed and house yourself and your family. When people are desperate and unable to survive through legal means, they resort to whatever it takes to survival. It's human nature.