First of all, answering "yes" should not hold up your tax return, that information is only used to determine eligibility for the American Opportunity tuition credit. If you check yes, then turbotax will not request that credit. (There are other college credits that don't have the drug conviction rule so you will still be eligible for them.) The fact that you checked "yes" does not actually get reported to the IRS, so any delays in past refund processing was due to something else.
Second, there is a difference between "sealed" and "expunged," although some states may use different terminology. Sealed generally means hidden from public view. Expunged means it is treated as though it never happened.
While I can not find an authoritative answer, the gestalt of all the different things I research is that if your record was sealed, then you were still convicted and you should answer yes, and then you are not eligible for the credit. But if the conviction was expunged, then you can answer no. You may have to check with your state law or your attorney to confirm whether you got one or the other.
