Worldwide penalties for cannabis possession

Indonesia

Indonesia is an incredibly popular travel destination thanks to its beautiful beaches, temples and volcanoes. The island of Bali alone attracted more than six million tourists in 2018. However, anyone caught with marijuana there quickly ends up behind bars - or, in the case of large-scale weed smuggling, on death row. Cannabis in Indonesia falls into the same group of drugs as heroin, cocaine and crystal meth - meaning the government considers it a dangerous substance with no therapeutic value. Yet millions of people in Indonesia use marijuana. According to the non-profit research organization Transnational Institute, the majority of it is grown in Aceh province.

Japan

Japan is so strict about weed that the government issued a warning when Canada legalized marijuana in 2018: Any Japanese traveling through Canada should not be misled, as this could have consequences when they return to Japan. Under Japanese cannabis laws, possession of marijuana can result in up to five years in prison - or even seven if there is suspicion of intent to profit from the drug. Potential fines are up to $18,000. Growing, importing and exporting marijuana is punishable by seven years in prison. If there is suspicion of profit, it can take up to ten years. The possible fine is also higher, up to $27,000.

Thailand

In 2018, Thailand legalized medical cannabis, breaking away from the previous war on drugs. Back then, people were sometimes killed if they were thought to be dealers. However, if it is non-medical marijuana, you still face penalties: small amounts can result in up to a year in prison and/or a fine of $320, but the larger the amount, the higher the penalty. The maximum is five years in prison for possession of up to ten kilograms of weed.

Singapore

Singapore is known for wanting to maintain its squeaky clean image. That's why it's forbidden in the city-state to throw trash on the ground, spit on the ground, smoke in public and chew chewing gum on public transport. It's hardly surprising that Singapore has some of the strictest cannabis laws in the world. Possession of marijuana can result in up to 10 years in prison or a $20,000 fine. And anyone caught with more than 500 grams of weed can end up in court for drug smuggling. There are various punishments - from caning to life imprisonment and even the death penalty.

In 2016, Nigerian Chijioke Stephen Obioha was hanged in Singapore after authorities caught him with 2.6 kilograms of marijuana.

Malaysia

Malaysia is currently discussing whether to abolish the death penalty for drug smugglers. This also includes people who are caught with more than 200 grams of cannabis. The government is also considering decriminalizing possession of small amounts.

United Arab Emirates

In the United Arab Emirates, it is still considered drug possession even if the substances are only in your own body system. And that carries a minimum of four years in prison or a $2,700 fine.

Briton Keith Brown was sentenced to four years in prison in 2008 after 0.0003 grams of cannabis was found on his shoe at Dubai airport. The grass was the size of a grain of sugar. In 2017, a Dubai judge sentenced Briton Connor Clements to two years in prison after a drug test revealed that Clements had consumed cannabis. The Briton told the press that he had to sleep on the floor of a mass cell with 25 other people and that his trial lasted less than a minute.

Türkiye

Although more and more medical cannabis is being cultivated in Turkey, private consumption without a prescription is still prohibited. Possession of small amounts can be punished with up to two years in prison. And anyone who openly encourages the consumption of addictive and euphoric drugs must expect up to five years in prison.

USA

Marijuana has now been legalized in some US states for people aged 21 and over - including Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, California, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington State (as of November 2023).

Even if you, as a non-US citizen, smoke weed in a US state where cannabis is legal, you risk getting in trouble. Last year, the weed podcast On Something talked about a Chilean woman who was banned from entering the United States for life because customs authorities found photos on her cell phone of her in a weed dispensary in Denver . (as of 2020).