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Last night, I couldn’t sleep so I was up late on twitter. Then I saw these disturbing tweets:

In Beijing bar last night I was made to do a random urine test for drugs. Those who failed including some foreigners taken away by police. — Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) August 10, 2014

@ChuBailiang @austinramzy Not sure which drugs seeking. We all peed into little plastic bottles. Police gave it a shake. Instant “result”. — Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) August 10, 2014

(By the way, he the China Correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, so I trust his tweets.)

The part that is most disturbing to me (besides forcing people to whip it out and pee in a cup) is that drugs detected through a pee test can last in your system for weeks. So you can legally use marijuana in Colorado, go on a trip to China, and get busted for drug use. Even if you did not use it there and were using it legally.

If you used it once, you wouldn’t get busted unless you flew out immediately after, but pretty frequent use can be in your system for 10-30 days. (For more information on that, check out this chart).

And then this morning, I saw:

One foreigner who failed urine drug test in Beijing bar Saturday night already been taken home to get things and deported immediately. — Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) August 10, 2014

I think it is a strong reminder that the rule of law is very different when you are traveling. Don’t leave yourself in a position where you can get into trouble. Don’t take drugs before leaving for a trip. Be very aware of what is very illegal there.

A couple was arrested in Dubai for kissing on the beach and both were jailed for a year.

Speaking of Dubai, a woman was arrested for reporting a violent crime that happened to her because while being questioned, she was asked if she has been intimate with her fiance–an act that’s illegal there outside of marriage.

Know the laws and be careful. Finding a good fare somewhere is great, but make sure it does not cost you more than it should.

Edit: Someone let me know the intent of this is to crack down on drug using foreign residents, but that doesn’t change the magnitude of importance of not being caught in these situations. If you were drinking in the bar with them too, you would have been tested.