Adoption After THC Arrest

In general, Russia is very strict about substance abuse. China and Korea are too. Interestingly, however, if you had a sensitively written homestudy and USCIS approval, you possibly could have gotten a good placement agency to advocate for you in one of those countries, especially if you were considering a child of school age or a child with special needs, since the "weed" offense was 13 years ago and never repeated. Outside of those countries, you might consider almost any of the others that are open. In general, the countries with the most willingness to consider applicants with "issues" are also those that are the higher risk ones, so you may have to accept more uncertain time frames, unpredictable fees, and so on. But you might look into fairly stable countries as well. Take a look at the State Department website (adoption.state.gov) to get good basic information about the countries that are open to adoption, and then start perusing the websites of some highly reliable agencies to get more detailed information. Once you have picked a few countries that seem "possible", begin talking to agencies. I really can't advise you on countries because I don't know enough about your specific interests and situation. As an example, are you looking for an infant or an older child? Remember that many social workers oppose placing out of birth order, so you may be discouraged from applying for a child who is older than your youngest. Still, some countries are more flexible with older children, and especially school aged children. Are you open to any special needs? And so on. Sharon