PatchCordAdams

You have been very helpful, to be honest!
What I mean by the 'habitual' to 'casually for a short time' is it has never been a big part of my life, and I have frequently gone months on end without touching it without any problems. Basically if you were to add up all the time I have spent smoking, it would be significantly less than a year in total, if you get me. I should have been more clear about that. I know it's not exactly the same, but I've seen threads talking about people doing it heavily, non stop for 10 years or so. Mine is way, way less significant than that. A couple of months here, a couple there, and long extended breaks.
Thanks again
- Patch

BenK91

You're overthinking. If you're asked, be honest. If you're not (then just like anything else immigration related - don't volunteer it).

It is ironic though that recreational use could stop someone from being admitted into the US, yet I live in Colorado - the first state to legalize it for recreational use (and maybe medicinal too?) and it's everywhere. There's a dispensary pretty much everywhere you look, they're about as common as Starbucks.

All I will say is, if you lie and get caught then you are properly f****d. If you're honest if asked, shouldn't be a major problem depending on how you define habitual.

tom169

Drop any descriptions of your use from your vocab. You aren't a Dr... You can't assess "habitual". Don't answer more than necessary to construct a sentence.

KK85

In case it offers you any degree of hope, at my medical I admitted to having smoked weed a few times, tried cocaine twice and tried MDMA once. I had to pay an extra $50 for a drug-test there and then and I had to hand over all of my medical records (for reasons relating to mental health stuff, not drugs, although the drug use was mentioned in them) and that was good enough. My medical was approved with no 12 month drug screening, and I've been in the US for two years this November.

None of us can tell you what will happen in your case. It's different for all of us, and whoever conducts your medical will make the judgement call on your history and your behaviour. But do yourself and your fiance a favour and be honest - even if it does come down to another 12 month wait, that will be far less of an issue than a potential lifetime ban (if you need your fiance like you need air, then it's clearly not worth the risk) - and I'm sure it will all work out nicely in the end. Good luck!

PatchCordAdams

Thanks for the response, KK. It's very encouraging to hear that. I am going to tell them because as you said; it's a lot less painful to have a 1 year delay than a potential lifetime ban. I was just nervous when I originally made this thread, and trying to learn as much as I possibly could. I never wanted to be dishonest or anything like that, but I felt genuinely panicked when I heard about the whole drug thing.
If I understand correctly; it's not necessarily that using drugs will get you banned, but rather if the doctor feels like you currently have a problem, and can be a danger to yourself or others. Which I certainly am not.
I am actually a very grounded, level-headed guy, and I am positive that they will see that. I have a perfectly clean bill of health, I don't have any physical signs of being a drug user (nice teeth, no scars, self-harm marks, no gross skin, etc). I am in really good physical shape, I eat well, I don't have any tattoos or anything...Hell, I don't even drink pop (I only drink water...And a few beers lol). All in all, I'd say I am doing pretty well.
Is having long hair considered a suspicious thing when it comes to this stuff? I know they use your physical appearance to judge you, and I'm going to be as smart as possible when I go, but I'd prefer to not have my hair cut off.
I have my medical booked for 3 weeks anyway, so it's too late to back out now. Thanks for the responses!

scrubbedexpat099

I have never heard of hair being an issue, in fact I seem to recollect at least one State has made it illegal to discriminate based on hair.

KK85

You're welcome. I found others' stories to be of huge reassurance - I completely get it! This process can feel very isolating and skew your perspective in places where it needn't.

This can be true, but I think it's more profoundly the case for those with a problematic mental health history than a history of mild drug use (if your drug use was combined with a criminal record or poor mental health history, I'd say that's a different issue). The length of your drug use might be on the weightier side, but it's weed. It's not like you were injecting heroin, y'know? Substance use can be a more black-and-white case - the doctor will request that you do a drugs test if he suspects you of drug use or indeed if you admit to it (judging by my experience, they will order it based on any mention of drugs at all, so definitely prepare yourself for at least that), but I imagine it to be unethical for them to suspect you of a drug issue without due cause.

I do think a person's demeaour holds a degree of weight in this circumstance. When speaking with the doctor about my mental health, he remarked on the way I came across and the current state of my life in a positive light. So I think you're right to hope and believe that your nature will take you at least so far. But don't worry yourself when it comes to long hair or body modifications. I have tattoos - the doctor and I discussed them at my medical, no biggie. I wear a bandana all the time and my hair's a crazy mass of unmanageable curls - I don't think he could have cared less.

Very best of luck! As is always the advice, don't offer any information unless it's asked for, and always be honest.
Let us know how you get on.

PatchCordAdams

How do you delete a thread, guys?

BenK91

PatchCordAdams

lol, a little bit. But now that I have read into it all as much as I can, my nerves are beginning to calm.
Cheers for the answer btw!

Rete

Why are you wanting to delete this thread?

scrubbedexpat099

Presumably as the Op thinks that the information contained may be detrimental to his case and does not understand how the Internet works.

Rete

Duh! I'm old but not senile quite yet.

I wanted to hear it from the OP, himself, not from anyone else.

BenK91

Apparently, if you type Google into Google it breaks the internet/ruins any chances of a visa.