Tourists are enamoured with the idea of Thailand being a cannabis haven
since the country decriminalised marijuana consumption on 9 June, but
government officials worldwide are quick to nip that in the bud.
Not
only is the use of marijuana illegal in many countries around the
world, but some of these countries also forbid their citizens from consuming marijuana
overseas.
In light of Thailand being the first country in Asia to legalise
marijuana, authorities from Singapore and China are reminding citizens
that even if they do consume cannabis abroad in any form, they will
still face criminal charges upon returning back to their home countries.
The Straits Times reported Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB)
as saying that under “the Misuse of Drugs Act, any Singapore citizen or
permanent resident found to have consumed controlled drugs outside
Singapore will also be liable for the drug consumption offence.”
CNB added that random checks will be conducted regularly at various
immigration checkpoints. If a hair follicle drug test is carried out,
the marijuana component can be detected in a user’s single strand of
hair from 90 days since they last consumed cannabis.
Singapore’s strict anti-drug laws state that those convicted for the
possession or consumption of cannabis may receive up to 10 years of
imprisonment or a S$20,000 (US$14,300) fine, or both.
Thai embassies stationed in Indonesia, South Korea and Japan have
also warned Thais from bringing cannabis or related products into those
countries as they can face jail time, heavy fines or even the death
penalty if they’re caught.