A Nevada man is facing up to three years of jail time in Dubai after traces of marijuana was found in his urine.
51-year-old Peter Clark legally smoked marijuana days before flying from Las Vegas to Dubai for a business trip on Feb. 24. When he arrived to Dubai, he had to go to the hospital after developing pancreatitis.
HIs hospital stay is where things went from bad to worst after doctors there found traces of marijuana in his urine.
Even though Clark did not bring weed to Dubai, the strict drug laws prohibit possession of hashish/marijuana, which in Dubai, includes carrying the drug within one’s bloodstream. Doctors reported him to authorities, and he was arrested on March 3.
According to the website Detained In Dubai, Clark spent three days in a flea-ridden cell. He was released a few days later, told to return to his hotel and await his fate. It’s been over a month later, and he’s still in Dubai.
“The UAE’s arbitrary enforcement of laws and lack of predictable legal outcomes means that Peter potentially faces years in prison for legally smoking marijuana. Even if found innocent, he can be dragged through a slow and costly legal process”, said Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai, who is representing Clark. “The UAE should not be prosecuting visitors for acts committed outside their country. Peter has committed no genuine crime within Dubai. It is clear that the UAE must alter the technical wording of [its] drug laws to ensure foreigners are not unnecessarily persecuted.”
Unfortunately, this is not the first time a Westerner has faced a similar fate.
A British Army veteran spent more than a year in jail before he was released in 2019, and another Brit, Connor Clements, was arrested after taking medical marijuana in the UK, the NY Post reports.