British man facing charges in Dubai for smoking weed before he entered the country.

http://metro.co.uk/2017/12/10/briti...bai-prison-testing-positive-cannabis-7148353/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/brit-jailed-two-years-dubai-11669687

Rambling from me:

- If he is a waiter, would the restaurant/cafe he works at really conduct a drug test on him? There are tons and tons of people from all over that work in the service industry in Dubai. I wonder if this was a mandated drug test done by the local government in order for him to get a work visa. After all, the article states that his sister was there first, then he arrived to visit and then find a job. His visa was not sponsored before he arrived. I know it sounds like semantics, but it reads differently to me than simply "Coco's Cafe" asking him to pee in a cup for them.

- I feel for the guy. I don't doubt his claim that he smoked the pot before arriving (thus in another country). Plus, since pot stays in your system for a month, it clearly shows that he started looking for a job as soon as he arrived. He clearly was trying to turn his life around (again, just my opinion based upon the article). It also shows that different courts in different countries have very different concepts. In some countries, the state must prove guilt. In other countries, the arrested must prove innocence. I do not know enough about UAE law to determine which side they are on regarding burden of proof.

- Looks like the British embassy is doing all they can: visiting him in jail, asking questions to the prosecutor's office, and keeping the family informed. I am not sure if their embassy has a webpage for prospective British visitors/workers regarding "The differences in laws in the UK and UAE" or a "FAQ regarding UAE laws for British citizens." I hope they would and I hope everyone seeking longterm employment in the UAE would check on the website before they depart London. After all, both articles I linked above stated that over 200 British citizens have been arrested this year in the UAE.

- Passports - I scratch my head over how employers overseas or even courts overseas can confiscate a passport. It is my understanding that the passport I carry is not mine. The passport I travel on is the property of the country that issued it. I am just the "custodian" of the passport that was assigned to me. Again, I don't understand international law, but should foreign courts really take possession of a passport, or should they hand them over to the embassy to which they are assigned to while the citizen makes his/her way through the court system? (i.e. If a British citizen is arrested in Awesomestan, the government of Awesomestan hands the passport over to the British embassy while the British citizen is in jail)
 
If he knew he was going to be taking a drug test for a job...and he knew he smoked right before getting on the plane...how did he expect to pass the test?
{<huh}
 
Grenz said:
I'm 37 mate

The problem isn't expecting everyone to deal with whatever we do and get over it, the problem is that cannabis is either in the process of being legalized, treated as quasi legal, or decriminalized in a lot of Western countries. Those same countries that places like Dubai want to do business with. So we're over here dishing out medicinal licenses, ordering triple strength sativa sours over the internet, and in Dubai they'll lock you up just for having THC in your blood. In a globalized economy which Dubai clearly has aims at being a relevant player, they need to get with the times and fuck off with that draconian shit.
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Have you seen the AG?
 
Imagine the danger he was subjecting his diners to.
Drug tests for wait staff is insane, tests for communicable diseases at most.


Bit stupid smoking before starting a job that does drug tests. Even if random you gotta expect a test soon after starting.

Of course he probably smoked there and doesn't want to say that for obvious reasons.
 
KONG-D'SNT-TAP said:
Just not a place I have any desire to visit.
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I been through there 10 or times stayed there one time it was fun. Went to the sky park in the mall got to play with penguins and hooked up with a cute chick at the bar. But if you are traveling to a ME country you better research and know what to do and not to do .
 
Nice of other countries to take up the job of jailing scousers for us.
 
I think Dubai is ok maybe a bit soulless and plastic , when i travelled there when my son was still very young I was ushered to the front of the line at customs and they were very helpful .
 
its almost as if different countries have different rules.
 
The Middle East is a beacon of freedom. I can’t wait to visit any of those fine countries.
 
Phisher said:






The reasons never to visit the Emirates keep piling up. I've got a high school friend living in Dubai who's invited me to see his place, but I doubt that I'll ever take him up on it.
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Come on man, just imagine what you are missing, Russian hookers wearing diapers because their assholes are inverted from being reamed out!
 
2DUM2TAP said:
Stop going to shit hole countries. I don't care if they have money. It's still a shit hole with the way people are treated.
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pcptornado said:
Fuck the Middle East.
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FacePunch said:
Lol @ ever setting foot in a muslim majority country.
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018-middle-east-ass-crack.jpg
 
Smoking weed was the right thing to do, traveling to Dubai not so much...
 
Hard to find a good Muslim country. Why do people keep going there?

I propose travel bans, both ways.
 
bufetadanacara said:
Hard to find a good Muslim country. Why do people keep going there?

I propose travel bans, both ways.
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People go there because there's money to be made and business to be had. If you work in the energy industry or finance (among many others obviously) there's a good chance that at some point in your career you'll be spending time in places like Dubai, Doha or Abu Dabi. And obviously the Arabs want this to be so, since they recognize the need for global partnerships and diversification of their economies. And that's where the problem comes in: In Canada for example, you could be prescribed cannabis as a legitimate form of medication for insomnia, anxiety, migraines, etc. But then you end up in a place like Dubai because your employer needs you to go there, and all of a sudden that prescription is grounds for a 2 year jail term. If these countries are truly committed to moving forward (and they should be, the oil is going to run out eventually and/or alternative energy sources will take its place), they need to recognize that they can't prosecute expats for something like violating their own draconian laws. I'm not advocating that we should be able to go to the ME and literally expect to get away with murder, but a completely legal drug prescription, or even recreational drug use that wouldn't even get you a fine here, shouldn't carry the risks of imprisonment.
 
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