If you’re an immigrant in the US – LIE THROUGH YOUR TEETH ABOUT MARIJUANA!
For those who are traveling to the United States and consume cannabis, never admit that you do so. Lately, the US government has been denying entry to migrants and foreigners alike who have any link to cannabis whatsoever.
This, despite the fact that the United States has more than half of the states with some sort of cannabis program on the books. But slow old Uncle Sam simply won’t have it.
The Federal government still considers cannabis to be a “Schedule I Substance” which means (according to them) that it doesn’t have any medical value and has a high potential for abuse. This means that if you acknowledge your use of cannabis in front of any federal authority, you’re essentially admitting to “committing a crime”.
This alone could be more than enough to deny you entry into the United States. We have seen it with people traveling from Canada and from Mexico.
In a recent case, Jose Palomar, a DACA beneficiary has been denied re-entry to the United States due to him admitting that (in the past) he used cannabis. Jose is currently in the process of becoming a green card holder as he is married to an American woman and fathered a child with her.
He was forced to go to Mexico for a few days as a necessary step to acquire his green card. Jose, who lives in California where cannabis is legal, did partake legally. However, since he is not a “full citizen”, his consumption warranted him the denial of reentry into the United States and currently jeopardizes his chance to get a green card at all.
While Jose did stop consuming cannabis for more than three months prior to his trip, it was the advice of his lawyer that ultimately came to bite him in the ass.
When he asked his lawyer about how to respond to the “have you ever used any drugs in the past”, the lawyer advised him to be honest as a dishonest answer could result in further problems. With this advice from his lawyer in hand, Jose admitted to smoking cannabis in the past.
This, however, resulted in him being denied entry and currently, he is sitting in Mexico with no family or friends nearby. This is because Jose has been living in the United States since he was six years old. He’s been in the country for more than two decades and has virtually zero connection to his country of origin.
Yet, despite all of this, he is still sitting at the border hoping that some miracle will get him back into the country.
The Moral of the Story
If honesty is punishable by law, why tell the truth? I never truly understood those questions on legal forms. “Have you ever been part of a terrorist organization?” I mean, which terrorist will openly admit to being part of a terrorist organization.
Similarly, why would you ever incriminate yourself over your consumption habits? Jose’s lawyer urged him to tell the truth, and even though he did, he is still getting punished for it. Does this mean that the advice was bad?
Not at all. Jose’s lawyer understands that the truth is far less damning than being caught in a lie. However, how would the US government prove that Jose consumed cannabis in the past? He made sure that he didn’t have a trace of THC in his bloodstream and did 4 tests prior to leaving the US. Unless there is physical evidence to suggest that Jose consumed cannabis in the past, the United States will simply have to take his word on it. The burden of proof would fall on the government to prove that Jose consumed cannabis of which they do not have the resources to do so. Not for every case.
Thus, in the case of applying for citizenship or entering into the United States, I would opt-in for simply not admitting that you use cannabis, ever!
There is no need to jeopardize your entry by admitting that you smoke weed. The law in itself is ridiculous. Someone admitting that they smoke cannabis doesn’t indicate whether or not they are a bad person or not.
Other things to look at
Apart from not admitting your consumption habits, it’s also recommended that you screen your phone and remove all cannabis-related content as the border agents do have the authority to review your phone. Do NOT wear any cannabis-related clothing as well as this would be an obvious indicator that you at the very least support cannabis.
It sucks that we still have to be legally in the closet when it comes to cannabis consumption; however, it’s a necessary evil if you’re traveling to the US. It’s our duty to disobey unjust laws, but that doesn’t mean that we have to be idiots about it. Be discreet and act like a Boy Scout when dealing with law enforcement…after all, …they have guns.
CANNABIS AND IMMIGRATION, READ THESE..
IS CANNABIS USE IN IMMIGRANTS IMMORAL? READ THIS.
OR..
