Very often, yes. Virginia Code § 18.2-251 gives first offenders a statutory path to dismissal. If you have never before been convicted of a drug offense, the court can defer your case, place you on probation with conditions like substance abuse assessment and education, drug screening, and community service, and then dismiss the charge when you complete everything successfully. For a felony possession charge, that program can be the difference between a felony record and no conviction at all.
Before you jump at it, understand the tradeoffs. The deferral typically requires the court to find the evidence sufficient for guilt, which means the dismissed charge generally cannot be expunged later. The probation conditions are demanding, and a violation can convert the deferral into a conviction. And using the program on a case the Commonwealth might not be able to prove is a waste of a one time statutory benefit.
That last point is where a lawyer earns their fee. Many student drug cases have genuine constitutional issues. Dorm searches, consent questions, car stops, and roommate situations where ownership of the drugs is unclear all create defenses. The right first move is an honest evaluation of the evidence, not an automatic plea into a program.
Joel has evaluated and defended these cases in the Montgomery County courts for decades, for both misdemeanor and felony charges. Before you agree to anything, call him at 540-961-5297 for a free consultation, and read more about drug charges in Blacksburg.