For 9g I’d have expected you to do some jail time & then be deported, so a suspended sentence has to be very good news.
Please come back & tell what immigration have to say about an ARC-extension. If you can stay on here, that all seems extremely lenient 
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[quote=“himalayan”]an update for you forumosans who cared to post and are curious to know. 1 month ago, without legal representation in a 10 minute appearance, i pleaded guilty and had a full page written statement entered into the record. i received the court sentence letter early last week and my taiwanese friend was uncertain of its exact meaning. so, i visited the prosecutor’s office today, spoke with 3 court officers and here it is. 2 months jail or 60,000 fine - BOTH SUSPENDED ! 42 hours community service teaching english somewhere to be determined and 2 years probation. 2 years without another violation will wipe my record clean.
however, as my ARC expires mid-april, the court officers were unsure of my status with immigration. they agreed that i should simply visit them with the court papers and see what they say. if there’s no chance for renewal, i guess it’s better to find out now and just inform my boss that I’m leaving Taiwan. the alternative is go through the application motions and receive a “surprise” rejection. that would be a complete waste of time , money, and cause a major inconvenience to the company.
so, either way, this miserable 5 month drama is drawing to a favorable close. i will probably visit immigration on monday. any thoughts or predictions ??[/quote]
You got off lightly. Nice.
Remember for the future that if you enjoy the feelings of paranoia and ill health you could always just get married to a woman who is much more attractive and sexually active than you. Or you could ditch the weed altogether and embrace your feelings about life a bit more. Getting stoned is pretty daft as it eats away at your mental health. Lecture over. Go for a run!
didnt wait till monday. just returned from NIA. they were very nice n helpful. a supervisor told me that my sentence doesn’t exceed the penal limits (1 year jail) under NIA guidelines . i am eligible for ARC renewal. however, she informed me it’s labor affairs’ decision. they have separate and probably stricter guidelines and can deny a new work permit. if labor issues a work permit then immigration will approve. so, off to labor on monday.
to superking, thanks and no worries. fyi, i don’t call myself “himalayan” for nothing. i’m a super fit gym rat/mountain climber/off road motorcyclist. i embrace life in ways most people understandably could not and would not. finally, please read my original post. there’s a reason why my piss test came back negative . will update on monday, peace to all and thanks for the good vibes.
First of all, congratulations. Good to hear that (apparently) you made it put of that situation with not so many troubles.
But… can you say why the test was negative? because you burnt it all doing sports? AFAIK, THC remains in your fat for a long while until it vanishes completely.
As for Superking’s advice… well, I quit long time ago, cannabis is not for me anymore or perhaps I’m not for cannabis :P, but generally speaking, I’d say that it has more disventages than adventages.
thank you, jesus80. haha, well i only smoked a bit on sat. nights with beers. and a few pulls on the pipe was enough. i also do regular cardio intensive exercise and sweat like crazy right down and up from the bones man. of course i can’t say for certain but , who knows, maybe these are the reasons why. or maybe i shit green during that time ! any other theories ??
well, another reason your test came back negative was that your urine sample was lost/swapped for another sample on purpose or by accident/spilled on the floor and replaced with water/tested when the machine had drifted far enough off calibration that it really should have been recalibrated first/etc.
This is Taiwan, of course.
Properly done, mass spectrometer testing can detect infinitesimal amounts, down to the level of individual molecules, which you’d be shedding in your urine for months from a single toke, and for years for a regular user.
But lucky you! Well done!
Go and have a big toke to celebrate.
Molecules? Excuse a biology thickie, but would being in a room with the dumbasses affect a test?
It kind of pisses me off how many people smoke here in China, given how easily police show up if furriners make a noise. Not something I want to get busted for in China, even if my test comes back clean.
First of all a big congratulations. The charges against me (bogus in my case) were recently dropped so here’s to the Taiwan judicial system. (clinking glasses)
Can you elaborate on the meeting with immigration as this is very useful information. As I have been told by a friend in a law firm, immigration has the right to ban any foreigner from re-entering Taiwan in the case of a criminal conviction or even a suspended sentence.
It seems as if possibly the crime has to have a minimum sentence for this to apply (though as usual the immigration ruling is completely arbitrary as it is a guideline not a law).
Most of theses tests have a minimum level that you need to pass, due to uncertainties down at the lowest detection levels of any mass spec system, and to make 100% sure that you’re actually carrying a reasonable amount. While individual molecules are able to be detected, the cut-off is 100s of times that (so it’s beyond reasonable doubt in legal terms). And I am sure each jurisdiction has a different testing regime and cut-off level. Femtograms per liter of urine, for example (that’s 4/15ths of feck all, but still more than 1 molecule).
Being in a room with others smoking a joint at a party is unlikely to trip that limit, unless it’s so thick that you’re getting high yourself.
[quote=“urodacus”]
Being in a room with others smoking a joint at a party is unlikely to trip that limit, unless it’s so thick that you’re getting high yourself.[/quote]
That scenario is not extremely rare…
THC as it was said earlier in this thread is lipophilic.
Therefor, I wonder how good a urine test can be detecting it.
In the blood, it can show up to three weeks after consumption.
I suspect that the test was looking for other drugs and that those came up clean, so they were easy on the OP.
Why did they need the urine test? They’d already found the cannabis?
A positive urine test would indicate that he is a consumer and a negative test result should make it difficult for him to explain why he had it, thus pointing towards dealing.
LOL WOW ! 1st, thanks to all. 2nd, i’m very amused by the dynamic discussion my case has provoked. i will leave the science and theoretical speculation to those more qualified than me. 3rd, i have no reservation explaining some things that i already confessed on video to the tpd and prosecutor the day of my arrest.
the tpd came to me 3 weeks after i kicked the snitch bitch out of my house. i’m sure the tpd asked her, but she probably had a “molecule” of decency to say i wasn’t dealing. the tpd tailed me 3 weeks to conclude the same. they also confiscated my obviously well used pipe. i also confessed that the 9g was originally 20g for $20,000, that i had been smoking only on weekends for the past year or so, and that i purchased 20g merely for the comfort and convenience of my personal use. that makes my negative piss test even more unbelievable. all true and stated as matters of fact. i voluntarily offered access to my phone records and computer to back me up. they didn’t seize either, much to my surprise.
my statement to the tpd and prosecutor also included that i was more concerned that the apple daily would get wind of and publish my bust, thereby possibly tarnishing my boss’ reputation and company business. he’s successful, a good guy and that would have really sucked.
yes, NIA has the authority to tell any foreigner to fuck off for fuck all reasons. it’s a privilege to be here , not a right. i think the NIA supervisor appreciated that i came to them. she was very gracious. i hope that labor feels the same.
finally, i am seriously humbled and thankful for the results to date. it’s WAY more than i could have hoped or asked for. again, thanks ya’ll.
i visited a labor supervisor this afternoon. he was very friendly, helpful and chatty. he checked and informed me that my case had not yet come to their attention. after quickly reviewing my court docs, he opined that my sentence could allow for a visa renewal, as the sentence in effect did not require doing time and would not interfere with being available to actually work. however, he also said that such matters are given different considerations (probably marital status, relatives, etc) on a case by case basis when they reach their offices. but as far as he was concerned, it should be ok.
so, i walked out not feeling 100% certain or confident, but at least i’m free to walk ! i’ll know more in a month. Peace.
good luck and keep posting updates 
hello forumosans . i am very pleased to announce that my work permit was delivered today to my employer. yesterday, i registered for probation at the prosecutors office and i’m scheduled to meet with an officer once per month over the next 2 years. in 2 weeks i will have a meeting with their office to discuss the the details of my 42 hours community service. it’s likely i will be teaching english to the TPD !
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Good!
You can put that on your resume.
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Thanks for that read. Are you still here?
yes , still here.
They probably just lost an English tutor or something, and liked what they’d heard during the arrest…but anyway works out OK for the OP. Except 42 hours teaching English would be considered “cruel and unusual” in some situations.
It’s a funny story at the bar 
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