Immigration and artists whose work concerns drugs?

[yankeelimer 1]

Immigration seems to take not only drug convictions seriously but also hints of prior drug use, here they denied entry to a Canadian man after the agent googled his name and found a blog post where he talked about taking LSD as part of a medical trial in 1967 when it was legal!

http://animamrecro.wordpress.com/2007/04/24/canadian-professor-denied-us-entry-for-taking-lsd-in-1967/

But then I think about all the writers, actors, and musical artists who write about drug use or have song lyrics talking about drug use or admit to using in an interview. But they don't seem to have problems with immigration.

Whats the deal? Do they simply claim its artistic license or a character they are creating and immigration accepts it? Or is it simply an ignorant agent who doesn't bother to google or investigate? Or is it privilege and wealth allowing exceptions? Because apparently admitting to using legal drugs in a medical setting is enough to be denied entry, what gives?

[TBoneTX 45,305]

Using or admitting to use is one thing. Conversely, we don't have to believe in what we write or sing about. In the end, it probably depends on individual cases.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Immigration seems to take not only drug convictions seriously but also hints of prior drug use, here they denied entry to a Canadian man after the agent googled his name and found a blog post where he talked about taking LSD as part of a medical trial in 1967 when it was legal!

http://animamrecro.wordpress.com/2007/04/24/canadian-professor-denied-us-entry-for-taking-lsd-in-1967/

But then I think about all the writers, actors, and musical artists who write about drug use or have song lyrics talking about drug use or admit to using in an interview. But they don't seem to have problems with immigration.

Whats the deal? Do they simply claim its artistic license or a character they are creating and immigration accepts it? Or is it simply an ignorant agent who doesn't bother to google or investigate? Or is it privilege and wealth allowing exceptions? Because apparently admitting to using legal drugs in a medical setting is enough to be denied entry, what gives?

It's not privilege or wealth. It's fame. Nobody wants to be the CBP officer who denied entry to Keith Richards.

On the other hand, lesser known acts are denied entry all the time for either having a criminal drug record abroad, or admitting drug use in an interview. C'est la vie! If life was fair then I wouldn't envy Warren Buffet's bank account.