The Ten Worst Places in the World to Get Caught with Cannabis

The laws surrounding cannabis, from its legality to the difference between personal recreational use and intention to supply, vary across the globe.

The matter is not made any clearer when it comes to the USA, where in some states possession of cannabis is seen as a more serious crime than possession of cocaine.

If there is one consistent place where you never want to get caught with cannabis though, it’s in your bedroom by your mother or father!

The fight to legalise cannabis continues unabated and in parts of Europe, notably Holland, while possession of cannabis is still illegal, it goes unpunished as a crime.

While possession is a crime in the U.K., the law is becoming more relaxed and invariably, if it is clear you are just a recreational user, a smack on the wrist is the worst you will get.

So, in the format of the gameshow Pointless, which countries do you think have the harshest penalties for being caught in possession of cannabis? We think there are a few places on this list that will remain ‘pointless’ as none of you will mention them.

In the land of the setting sun, don’t watch it go down while smoking a joint as you’ll spend the next five years in a Japanese jail.

It’s hard to imagine that anywhere in South America would have a problem with cannabis, but if caught with it in Colombia, expect to spend around six years in jail.

There are a couple of countries on the old Eastern Bloc that don’t smile kindly on potheads, one being Lithuania. Expect a six-and-a-half-year stretch here.

Be careful if you go to Cyprus on holiday. Just imagine those long days filled full of sunshine, crystal-blue waters and sandy beaches, all just out of reach as you spend eight years admiring the view from your cell window.

Not surprisingly, Russia makes it onto the list, though with a less-harsh-than-expected nine-and-a-half-year stretch the average.

Slovakia surprised us, sneaking in at number four with a most respectable twelve-year period of detention.

As we near the end of the list, there is United Arab Emirates, or UAE. Hardly a surprise in an area where alcohol is only permitted in certain areas that possessing cannabis will see you locked away for anything up to fifteen years. Saudi Arabia is just as harsh.

Then, how could we forget the backdrop to the harrowing film Midnight Express. Not much has changed since then so don’t get caught with any dope in Turkey, or you can kiss goodbye to eighteen years of your life.

If you like the occasional joint, give Nigeria a wide berth. 25 years in jail awaits anyone caught with cannabis. Seems a bit harsh when you don’t even get that long in prison for trying to overthrow the government!

Then, grouped together, we have the Philippines, Cambodia and Singapore, where life imprisonment is not unheard of, and nor is execution!

So, have you got any names you’d like to add to the list – we do hope not through personal experience! Leave us a note in the comments section below to let everyone know where they should cross off their holiday list….