1/1/2018 As of January 1, 2018, California will offer a pretrial diversion program to qualifying defendants charged with minor drug offenses. See AB 2082 (2017) (Eggman), amending California Penal Code § 1000 et seq.
In this process, defendants will be permitted to plead “not guilty” before they are diverted to a drug education program. If they successfully complete this and other requirements within 12 – 18 months (or more, if they request and are granted more time), then the drug charge/s will be dropped and they will have no conviction from the incident for immigration purposes or any other purpose.