Originally Posted by
NavSTL
Holy sweet muppety Zeus, what terrible advice. The answer to ANY question put to you by a federal officer, if you don't like where the conversation is headed, is the truth or silence. You do not know what information CBP is working off of, and material misrepresentation is a much more durable form of forever ban than a minor, ancient-history drug offense is. Literally being caught with a joint in your pocket at the inspection is less likely to result in a permanent ban.
Most of the time I would agree with you, but not here. If you consumed illegal drugs in the past, and there is no public record of it - arrest, conviction, medical record, social media admission - you'd be a fool to say yes in the immigration context.