An Edinburgh student has spoken of his devastation after old phone pictures led to a travel ban to the US.
Archie Brydon was travelling to Boston via Dublin Airport to continue with his journalism degree at the University of Massachusetts when his phone was taken for inspection.
After pictures of him smoking marijuana at a party in 2015 were discovered, he was told by a female official that due to US federal laws he would not be able to travel.
Archie said his life at that moment "imploded".
He wrote in an online blog: “I cannot explain what it is like: watching your life, or at least the way you envisioned it, implode in front of your very eyes.
“I am sure what happened to me has happened to countless others. It scares me to think how many others, far less lucky than I, suffer the same fate every day.”
First reported in the Sunday Times, Brydon, 21, was returning to America, ready for his new term when he was stopped.
Mary Dettloff, a spokeswoman for the University of Massachusetts, told the newspaper that Brydon would be allowed to study remotely.
She said: “We will continue to offer support to Mr Brydon as he assesses his options, including completing his classes remotely.”
Brydon admitted he had made mistakes, but added: “I think the way they scoured my mobile phone for evidence of wrongdoing was wrong. I don’t expect any special treatment, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been through this and it needs to be highlighted.”
