Foreign resident on a work visa, planning to spend Christmas and New Year’s in Thailand to get a break from the stress here. I have a lot of close friends in Thailand, and cannabis is widely and legally used there. Because of the social environment I’ll be in, it’s honestly going to be difficult to completely avoid being around it or partaking.
To be clear:
- I won’t be bringing anything back to Japan.
- Any cannabis use would be in Thailand.
- I know Japan has extremely strict drug laws, including penalties for using illegal substances even abroad, but the enforcement around re-entry seems unclear and inconsistent.
My main concerns:
- Are foreign residents ever drug-tested at the airport when returning to Japan?I’m worried because cannabis stays in your system for a long time, and I don’t want to be blindsided by some kind of test on arrival.
- If immigration or customs were to ask for a drug test, is it something you can legally decline?I’ve tried researching this, but I keep finding conflicting information.
- Has anyone had RECENT experience returning to Japan after visiting Thailand where cannabis is openly legal?I found an older post from last year, but the situation seems to be changing, and the current government has been tightening rules in ways that make some foreign residents uneasy. I just don’t want to get caught in any stricter-than-usual enforcement.
Again, I’m not planning to break Japanese law by bringing anything back; I just want to know if having cannabis in my system (from legal use abroad) could cause any issues upon re-entry as a resident.
Fr I just wanna meet my old friends and play some FIFA while we are hazy and talking about the good times…
If anyone has up-to-date experiences or knowledge on how immigration is handling this recently, I’d really appreciate the insights.
Thanks in advance!
TLDR: Cannabis use in Thailand + returning to Japan on a work visa… any risk of drug tests or issues at immigration and if anyone has any recent experience?
Edit: some corrections
by Reasonable-Bar-9312