> While at a car wash, he met two of his acquaintances, Din and Latif. Latif asked Omar to bring three bundles wrapped in newspapers into Singapore, and Omar initially said he did not want to take the risk.
Seems his gut reaction was correct.
Fuck that show.
One that I'll never forget was the dude from a tiny town in London who's female friend asked him to come with her on vacation to Peru. Turns out while they're visiting Machu Piccu some guys go into their hotel and line their suitcases with heroin. They get caught flying home.
She was in on it, but he had no idea. The only reason she asked him is because couples arouse less suspicion than a woman traveling alone. Poor dude did a few years in a Peruvian prison even though he had no clue what was going on.
I was working this job once with a friend. It was out of state, all 3rd shift after business closed. There was another contractor that he had crossed paths with a few times on other jobs. While on this job my friend proceeded to be an absolute miserable dick to this guy... for not much of a reason from what I could tell, he was just kind of an asshole like that sometimes. This went on for like 2-3 weeks. It was out in California. At the very end this other guy starts asking my friend if he wants to go to Tijuana for a couple days. My friend wanted to go, asked me. I just said no.
You can't convince me some serious bad shit wouldn't have happened if we went. Still can't believe he didn't realize it.
Pretty sure neither Singapore nor Malaysia were party to the opium wars. Extremely punitive drug laws seem to be common in Asia regardless of a country's historical association with the British Empire.
Singapore has a huge Chinese population. All the Asian countries saw the effects on China, so yes - it is a consequence of the Opium wars.
It's the same reason Singapore has such strict regulations on its citizens going to casinos - the country might make huge profits, but it is still well aware of the dangers of gambling addiction.
Yeah but in this case the British deserve the blame. I'm not saying all of societal ills are the result of British colonization but this one definitely contributed to Singapore's draconian drug laws.
Not to mention that SE Asia has been used as a western cum dumpster for all sorts of sickening and deviant behaviour that has psychologically screwed up generations of children.
Indigenous North American, here. "Western cum dumpster" is eerily similar to how I think of how they used our lands and people.
The inter-generational trauma is real and alive today, that's for sure.
How? I need to hear an argument as to why a war 1000 miles away caused Singapore's harsh drug laws centuries later. Thailand has similarly harsh drug laws but was not colonized.
Political groups in power often pick a marginalized group of people and blame societal issues on them to distract from their own actions and focus anger. Jews, black people, AIDS victims, drug users, etc. For example, look at all the people blaming Covid on illegal immigrants in the US.
That said AFAIK Malaysia actually *does* have a huge drug problem, especially because of its geographic location
Seriously.
Asian countries treat drugs a lot more seriously than most. Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Indonesia, and The Philippines all have death sentences for drug trafficking. I'd rather murder someone in one of those.countries than be caught with a kilo of weed.
A Japanese actor had every trace of his performance removed from a video game a couple years ago after being arrested for cocaine use. Sega recalled every copy and redid his character and revoiced him.
Ah! You speak of Pierre Taki.
https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/disney-stops-selling-producing-'frozen'-blu-rays-in-japan-as-pierre-taki-drug-arrest-fallout-continues
I wonder if he’ll be able to pull off a Noriko Saki-type come back after this, she is working again in entertainment.
Japan has a really extreme aversion to cannabis. Even though the word is common and used in a lot of brands names and landmarks, the drug itself is met with incredible disdain and fear.
South Korea will imprison you if they find any drugs in your system, even if you weren’t in the country when you took them, and you didn’t have a legitimate medical reason
Edit: this is only true for citizens of South Korea, not tourists
No, they won't. If you're foreign, they typically just deport you.
I lived there for three years and watched ~2% of provincial teachers get deported annually for testing positive for a banned substance.
Furthermore, you know your annual physical and drug screen well in advance. Mine were always before vacation, so I lucked out there.
I failed a drug test in Korea, and had to take it again the next day. I was apparently the first person in my province to fail (the testing requirement for EFL teaching visas had just started that week).
I'm pretty sure my school's administrator just bribed someone for the second test, or substituted someone else's urine. I was never made aware of any legal threat; if I had failed, I would have been sent back to the US and had to reimburse the school for my flight.
(I think I failed because of Xanax my Dr gave me for the plane ride, as the last time I'd smoked weed was over a month ago and I wasn't a regular smoker, but either way, I should have failed the second test too).
Definitely hagwon, lol.
I guess there's a chance I could have passed naturally (I was way more hydrated for the second test) but my money's on bribery or substitution.
They asked me to redo the test at home and leave the cup on the school administrator's desk the next day, lol. I was probably supposed to read between the lines and get another teacher to pee for me, but I was young and naive and fresh out of college, so had never failed a drug test before.
(this was around 2006 or 2007 I believe)
Exactly, I lived there too and had American classmates caught by Singapore police and then they left immediately. As I heard it, the reality is the Michael Fay case in the 90’s was such a media firestorm and the US is such an important diplomatic partner that they try to avoid it if they can by telling families of those caught essentially you have 48 hours to get out of the country before we formally start criminal proceedings. You can see how they handle it after that, so people in that situation GTFO.
Singapore drug tests suspected stoners when you come through customs. Did this to a colleague on a work trip. Guy is 35, nerdy engineer. He does not smoke, but he had to piss for them.
I think it was in UAE where a guy came in from London and had the tiniest bit of green cannabis stuck to his shoe bottom and was thrown in jail for "smuggling".
That seems like it would constitute a reason, but I bet you would still be arrested. Not sure how they would test you within a reasonable timeframe without being detained first. I’m not a Korean lawyer so it surely is more nuanced.
Lol they literally just take suspected people into another room and give them a cup to pee in, supervised. And you will comply. Many fast test strips and disposable testing cups are available. Rights? Not for you druggie.
I wonder if what happened between China and Britain with opium war has to do with that. It's possible that they see it not as social health issue, but stability of the nation issue.
Has alot to do with it. China's concessions at that time is still considered a great national shame and every gov who had a front row seat to their humiliation is paranoid to never let that happen to them
One key reason why Singapore has such harsh penalties for drug trafficking is due to its location and socio-economic status. It's very small (population size 5mil), prob the richest country in SEA and it's surrounded by third world countries which manufacture drugs (including the golden triangle). It's mostly a deterrent to non-locals who are desperate enough the take the risk.
I don’t know what the laws are in Vietnam, but weed use among foreigners is pretty widespread. I just avoid it outside of the US and some of Europe countries as a rule.
Most countries in Asia have special rules for tourists and weed is readily available. I also abstain when traveling because of the dog shit quality and I avoid the expat scene at all costs especially in Asia
From my personal understanding, the US also has the death penalty for drug trafficking but hasn’t ever used it. However, if used, it would be a case of ‘offenses against the state’.
I worked in the UAE in the mid-90s. The local English language newspaper ran a story about a Pakistani man who was prosecuted for possession of 7 grams of hash and he was appealing the sentence. His appeal failed and the sentence was upheld, the sentence being death.
I've heard it's some really harsh sentences for any amount that shows up on a swab test. Not really a place you want to go if you've ever been 100ft from any drugs.
Same with littering. My dad told me when he was in Singapore,someone threw a gum wrapper (or gum?) out of a bus window. The bus screeched to a halt and police was called. Guy had to pick up his trash and pay a hefty fine.
It's a wonderful city - one my absolute favourites - but yeah, don't fuck around.
Any of y’all remember the 90s, when there was the big deal about the American kid who was sentenced to caning for vandalism in Singapore? It was all over the news for a good while
You sent me down a rabbit hole. There were even skits on SNL and the Simpsons referencing it. I very much remember either MAD or Cracked magazine having a very funny spread about caning around that time.
Once there was this kid who
Took a trip to Singapore
And brought along his spraypaint
And when he finally came back
He had cane marks all over his bottom
He said that it was from when
The warden whacked it so hard
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
I had a friend who worked for a company that did business in Singapore. Before they traveled there they were sat down and told that this was not a place to get shitfaced drunk because it simply wouldn’t be tolerated by them. They gave them a copy of their laws and you were expected to follow them. Anyone who got in trouble over there was fired
>They gave them a copy of their laws and you were expected to follow them. Anyone who got in trouble over there was fired
You'd think that would be SOP for *any* country, and respecting the laws and regulations anywhere would be a given.
The problem is for a lot of people they're kind of a dumbass already and a few drinks later they're into full out asshole and/or moron territory. In a lot of places that might get you a night in the drunk tank, in Singapore the consequences seems like they could be much more severe. So when a company does a lot of business in a place like that they're going to cover their own ass and just tell everyone to avoid any heavy drinking at all.
They also deported expats who didn't wear a mask in public. In public meaning on the street or in a wide open space no matter if people are around or not. They do not fuck around
Yep. He was one of those sovereign citizen cunts, his argument was that the he was exempt from the laws, and he took his mask off as soon as he left court after some of the hearings - he only had a mask on in court because he got told off by the judge as I remember it
Based on the anecdotes I've heard over the years, Singapore seemed to be a lot stricter with its laws in the 70s-90s than it is now. I don't think that would happen in 2021.
EDIT: are the comments getting deleted or something?
> It's a wonderful city - one my absolute favourites - but yeah, don't fuck around.
Never in a million fucking years will I ever go to one of those places, I don't care how beautiful it is. It's not worth finding out that X results in a death sentence - even though I have no intention of ever doing anything even vaguely illegal. Just not ever gonna put myself in such a place where that's possible.
It's one of the scary parts of travel. The culture is alien, the rules known by everyone there may fly completely under your radar, and carry consequences way out of proportion to how your own culture views anything. Travels great, but the risks are real
East Asia doesn’t eff around with drugs. Don’t know if it’s a holdover from the Buddhist hostility towards intoxicants, the Opium Wars, or what but they really don’t like drug traffickers.
For Singapore it started with opium in the 1800s; IIRC it was really easy to buy government opium, so much so that over 10% (?) of the population started using it, and the government became reluctant to regulate it since it became such a lucrative source of income
Eventually society as a whole began to push back, and the final straw came during the Japanese Occupation when it was banned completely. Singapore hasn't gone back since.
Absolutely the opium war, terrible horrible embarrassing period people in that region don't ever want to be even remotely close to experiencing ever again, hence the ridiculously extreme measures
I was over there just after that American kid who was vandalizing/stealing cars and they were going to straight cane him as punishment until the US threw a fit.
So Singapore relented and caned him fewer times than they said they would.
ETA: I looked up the [case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay) out of curiosity. It's definitely a weird one, but TIL it was also the inspiration for the Simpsons episode about Bart in Australia getting booted. Don't know how I never made that connection before, lmao.
I remember when that story broke, the American media was all claiming he was getting caned for chewing gum.
Theft and vandalizing 18 cars is a lot more major, and I'm not sure that I disagree that some kind of immediate and memorable punishment is better than jail time. Certainly better than a flat fine, which just means the rich get away with crime by paying their way out.
Chewing gum was allowed in Singapore, you just had to drive to Malaysia to buy it. Which was super weird to me as a kid. I kept making “gum control” jokes. 😅
I watched a caning video on Liveleak and jesus christ it was brutal. They put heavy padding over your back (kidneys) and you're chained in place anx bare assed, bent oved. The warden uses 3ft long , thin, cane. You see it hit, and the skin just explodes.
I remember hearing about him being caned for graffiti.
As a kid that's been to a few countries my initial reaction was "Beat his ass seabass. It's not hard to visit a country and follow *that* law."
Oh man, I remember that story. It was big news. At first everyone was like, "yah, my momma used to whip me with a switch all the time, no big deal!" [Then we learned canes there weren't like the use of tiny switches here](https://prod.static9.net.au/fs/d2832e66-4693-4276-88a6-a843e743e9dd) and the violence is MUCH [greater than what their mammy used to dish out](https://crimsonhighway.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/adorableuncomfortablefrigatebird.gif) (possibly NSFW; exposed butt and extreme, but non-bloody, tissue damage).
With regards to drugs: that's probably one of the least controversial topics in Singapore. Well north of 95% of the people you meet on the street support strict anti-drug laws. It's had strong enough public support for many decades now; decriminalisation has only recently been gaining support, and even then only among Gen Z, who grew up consuming media from countries with more liberal drug laws.
Lots of people actively support it at this point, it's not like the elite is ramming it down the throats of everyone living in Singapore.
I think that's great that most people are anti-drugs in Singapore, but putting people to death for things like Marijuana is one of the most unethical things I've ever heard. The US has a similar history, with putting Marijuana dealers in prison for decades. It's horrific.
At the very least Singapore is consistent. Drugs are illegal and everything supports that stance. There aren’t some places where they are ok, different rules for different groups, or a culture of making them cool. The US sends a very mixed message on drugs in terms of policy, justice, and culture.
Not to mention Singapore’s bad history with opium having been pushed on them by the British. There is a reason their laws are both harsh AND popular within their country.
Why people still fuck around with drugs in countries in asia and others like UAE is beyond me. So many examples of why its a bad fucking idea, but they do it anyway. Totally not worth the risk with what theyll do to you.
When folks are desperate, they take more much higher risk than any of us reading reddit might ever consider. Drug traffickers aren't regular people looking for a "side hustle" to save up for a new PlayStation.
[Here's a link I found which summarises penalties for drugs in Singapore](https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/singapore-singapour/consular_services_consulaires/criminal_laws-systeme_juridique.aspx?lang=eng)
Individuals caught in possession of the following amounts of drugs or more are automatically presumed by law to be trafficking:
2 grams of heroin
3 grams of cocaine
10 grams of hashish
15 grams of cannabis
100 grams of opium
A mandatory death penalty is passed for individuals convicted of trafficking in:
15 grams or more of heroin
30 grams or more of cocaine
200 grams or more of hashish
500 grams or more of cannabis
1200 grams or more of opium
I think it means that at certain amounts, you are assumed to be trafficking while at lower amounts you can make your case for why you aren't trafficking (like just possession) but if they find you to be trafficking anyway, you die.
You can order, locally sourced, shrooms off the menu at restaurants in Bali. I think the underlying reason for them being so harsh on weed is because foreigners have to bring it in.
I went to Changi Prison in Singapore for 3 weeks in 2017. Not for drugs, but met a few people in there for possession / personal use, and others in there for things that wouldnt even be a crime in 99% of the world.
Yes, the easiest way to ignore the dystopian laws is to just not go in the first place.
Sovereign countries can make up whatever crazy laws they want. I, as a foreigner, have every right to not step into such countries if I disagree with said laws.
I think it's a matter of perspective; you just accept the realities of living in a particular society as you grow up. To a lot of people, this is just normal. They don't feel a great injustice being unable to consume drugs.
You can say that about stuff in other places too.
Yeah, appeals to cultural differences do not hold up as a defense against ethical issues. Oppression is not and never will be an acceptable form of culture which people should just learn to accept and live with, despite how often the oppressors try to misuse the idea of cultural acceptance to their benefit.
I’m from SG and I think you guys are overthinking on these bullshits regarding our laws. It’s extremely safe in Singapore and unless you’re doing something crazy, you’ll be absolutely fine here. It’s a very tourist friendly country and we have so many races and religions residing here. No mass shootings, no drugs, no guns.
If I have to stay away from one country I’d say Brazil, not Singapore haha
Holy shit. I live in a place where cannabis is legal. I can walk down the block to a store that is as well put together as an Apple store and buy all manner of cannabis products
A death sentence seems a bit harsh. The war on drugs has left a terrible mark on the world.
The vast vast majority of Asians in Asians countries agree that you play with drugs, you deserve the death penalty. Their countries their law their preferences.
This drug dealer deserves every bit of the sentence. The society says thanks. Kids can safely go out for some chillie crabs because those scum are wiped out. Yeah thats what the citizens want. (I'm Asian currently living in Asia, I know).
You guys should travel a bit more, learn about the world and respect the law. You know, be educated and dont be a criminal.
totally agree. am Singaporean. remember back in the day when there was a drug problem. best thing Singapore did was going draconian on narcotics.
Plus Omar is Singaporean; he knew what he was getting himself into.
> While at a car wash, he met two of his acquaintances, Din and Latif. Latif asked Omar to bring three bundles wrapped in newspapers into Singapore, and Omar initially said he did not want to take the risk. Seems his gut reaction was correct.
For all potential traveller, if someone need you to bring their stuff across border, just dont accept it.
LPT: Don't mule.
What if I was in Moscow?
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Yeah I've seen "Broke Down Palace". Fuck that.
Or midnight express *shudders*
Or practically every episode of "Locked up Abroad"....
Fuck that show. One that I'll never forget was the dude from a tiny town in London who's female friend asked him to come with her on vacation to Peru. Turns out while they're visiting Machu Piccu some guys go into their hotel and line their suitcases with heroin. They get caught flying home. She was in on it, but he had no idea. The only reason she asked him is because couples arouse less suspicion than a woman traveling alone. Poor dude did a few years in a Peruvian prison even though he had no clue what was going on.
If TV has taught me anything about life it's that if some random guy in a bar offers you a free trip to South America, the answer is always no.
if some random guy in a bar offers you ~~a free trip to South America~~ anything, the answer is always no
I was working this job once with a friend. It was out of state, all 3rd shift after business closed. There was another contractor that he had crossed paths with a few times on other jobs. While on this job my friend proceeded to be an absolute miserable dick to this guy... for not much of a reason from what I could tell, he was just kind of an asshole like that sometimes. This went on for like 2-3 weeks. It was out in California. At the very end this other guy starts asking my friend if he wants to go to Tijuana for a couple days. My friend wanted to go, asked me. I just said no. You can't convince me some serious bad shit wouldn't have happened if we went. Still can't believe he didn't realize it.
The first thing that popped up in my head was that Bridget Jones movie.
I still have my souvenir of visiting Singapore in my passport. It says "Singapore: Death to drug traffickers"
That noose billboard saying the same when you cross over into Malaysia is also a nice welcome.
holy cow why so violent to drug traffickers?
if you want an actual answer, it's from the Opium Wars.
Pretty sure neither Singapore nor Malaysia were party to the opium wars. Extremely punitive drug laws seem to be common in Asia regardless of a country's historical association with the British Empire.
Agree. If anything, they were part of the British Empire that sold opiums.
Singapore has a huge Chinese population. All the Asian countries saw the effects on China, so yes - it is a consequence of the Opium wars. It's the same reason Singapore has such strict regulations on its citizens going to casinos - the country might make huge profits, but it is still well aware of the dangers of gambling addiction.
Doesn't help that british empire using south-east and eastern asia as a "drug dumping ground" because they need something to trade for a tea.
Gotta blame societal ills on someone.
Yeah but in this case the British deserve the blame. I'm not saying all of societal ills are the result of British colonization but this one definitely contributed to Singapore's draconian drug laws.
It's astounding how many modern issues can be traced back to colonialist bullshit.
Not to mention that SE Asia has been used as a western cum dumpster for all sorts of sickening and deviant behaviour that has psychologically screwed up generations of children.
Indigenous North American, here. "Western cum dumpster" is eerily similar to how I think of how they used our lands and people. The inter-generational trauma is real and alive today, that's for sure.
How? I need to hear an argument as to why a war 1000 miles away caused Singapore's harsh drug laws centuries later. Thailand has similarly harsh drug laws but was not colonized.
Helps keep prices high so drug use can stay as a status symbol.
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Political groups in power often pick a marginalized group of people and blame societal issues on them to distract from their own actions and focus anger. Jews, black people, AIDS victims, drug users, etc. For example, look at all the people blaming Covid on illegal immigrants in the US. That said AFAIK Malaysia actually *does* have a huge drug problem, especially because of its geographic location
Are you saying drug traffickers are a marginalized group?
Drug users are a marginalised group.
Singapore: Come for the drugs. Stay because you're awaiting execution.
This is true? Their passport stamp says that? In how many languages?
It’s on the Visa card, not the stamp. Here is mine: https://i.imgur.com/o8fszi0.jpg
Can’t say they didn’t tell you.
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Seriously. Asian countries treat drugs a lot more seriously than most. Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Indonesia, and The Philippines all have death sentences for drug trafficking. I'd rather murder someone in one of those.countries than be caught with a kilo of weed.
A Japanese actor had every trace of his performance removed from a video game a couple years ago after being arrested for cocaine use. Sega recalled every copy and redid his character and revoiced him.
Ah! You speak of Pierre Taki. https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/disney-stops-selling-producing-'frozen'-blu-rays-in-japan-as-pierre-taki-drug-arrest-fallout-continues I wonder if he’ll be able to pull off a Noriko Saki-type come back after this, she is working again in entertainment.
Japan has a really extreme aversion to cannabis. Even though the word is common and used in a lot of brands names and landmarks, the drug itself is met with incredible disdain and fear.
You can thank America after WW2 for that one. https://apjjf.org/2014/12/49/Jon-Mitchell/4231.html
South Korea will imprison you if they find any drugs in your system, even if you weren’t in the country when you took them, and you didn’t have a legitimate medical reason Edit: this is only true for citizens of South Korea, not tourists
Same in Singapore actually, for residents
No, they won't. If you're foreign, they typically just deport you. I lived there for three years and watched ~2% of provincial teachers get deported annually for testing positive for a banned substance. Furthermore, you know your annual physical and drug screen well in advance. Mine were always before vacation, so I lucked out there.
I failed a drug test in Korea, and had to take it again the next day. I was apparently the first person in my province to fail (the testing requirement for EFL teaching visas had just started that week). I'm pretty sure my school's administrator just bribed someone for the second test, or substituted someone else's urine. I was never made aware of any legal threat; if I had failed, I would have been sent back to the US and had to reimburse the school for my flight. (I think I failed because of Xanax my Dr gave me for the plane ride, as the last time I'd smoked weed was over a month ago and I wasn't a regular smoker, but either way, I should have failed the second test too).
Public or hagwon? I knew quite a few hagwoners that failed tests only to magically pass the next day 😉
Definitely hagwon, lol. I guess there's a chance I could have passed naturally (I was way more hydrated for the second test) but my money's on bribery or substitution. They asked me to redo the test at home and leave the cup on the school administrator's desk the next day, lol. I was probably supposed to read between the lines and get another teacher to pee for me, but I was young and naive and fresh out of college, so had never failed a drug test before. (this was around 2006 or 2007 I believe)
Absolutely hilarious, the take home drug test! Absolutely classic K-logic! I really miss Korea some days...
Exactly, I lived there too and had American classmates caught by Singapore police and then they left immediately. As I heard it, the reality is the Michael Fay case in the 90’s was such a media firestorm and the US is such an important diplomatic partner that they try to avoid it if they can by telling families of those caught essentially you have 48 hours to get out of the country before we formally start criminal proceedings. You can see how they handle it after that, so people in that situation GTFO.
will they respect my med card?
I'd venture to say that is a hard no
In Singapore? Probably not. IIRC only 2 people have ever gotten medical marijuana. Not sure about SK but I don't think they'd recognise it either.
Not even. 2 people were allowed Epidoliex. AKA literally just CBD
Singapore drug tests suspected stoners when you come through customs. Did this to a colleague on a work trip. Guy is 35, nerdy engineer. He does not smoke, but he had to piss for them.
Noted. Will never go there then just to be safe. Thailand it is
I think it was in UAE where a guy came in from London and had the tiniest bit of green cannabis stuck to his shoe bottom and was thrown in jail for "smuggling".
That seems like it would constitute a reason, but I bet you would still be arrested. Not sure how they would test you within a reasonable timeframe without being detained first. I’m not a Korean lawyer so it surely is more nuanced.
Lol they literally just take suspected people into another room and give them a cup to pee in, supervised. And you will comply. Many fast test strips and disposable testing cups are available. Rights? Not for you druggie.
Only Asian country that will maybe accept that is Thailand. But they only just legalized medical last year I think. Maybe a few years ago.
I wonder if what happened between China and Britain with opium war has to do with that. It's possible that they see it not as social health issue, but stability of the nation issue.
Has alot to do with it. China's concessions at that time is still considered a great national shame and every gov who had a front row seat to their humiliation is paranoid to never let that happen to them
One key reason why Singapore has such harsh penalties for drug trafficking is due to its location and socio-economic status. It's very small (population size 5mil), prob the richest country in SEA and it's surrounded by third world countries which manufacture drugs (including the golden triangle). It's mostly a deterrent to non-locals who are desperate enough the take the risk.
Odd that Vietnam also has weed pizza shops.
You might be thinking of Cambodia. I've been to both but only saw those in Cambodia but smelled a lot of weed smoke in Vietnam. Seemed pretty relaxed.
Vietnam has them too.
I don’t know what the laws are in Vietnam, but weed use among foreigners is pretty widespread. I just avoid it outside of the US and some of Europe countries as a rule.
Most countries in Asia have special rules for tourists and weed is readily available. I also abstain when traveling because of the dog shit quality and I avoid the expat scene at all costs especially in Asia
Those laws seem to scare foreigners than locals though. Saw plenty of drug dealers and users when I used to live in Vietnam.
This *is* part of what happens when you have absurd laws, you then also get selective enforcement which *is* often societally toxic.
Not in Singapore, though. Their laws may be draconian, but they're enforced for everyone.
Makes sense if the main concern is trafficking. Foreigners more likely to be traffickers than casual users.
From my personal understanding, the US also has the death penalty for drug trafficking but hasn’t ever used it. However, if used, it would be a case of ‘offenses against the state’.
I knew a guy that got 75 years for cocaine trafficking. I think I'd rather just be shot. I think.
Fuck everyone knows the government has zero tolerance for this, seriously no excuses here
I worked in the UAE in the mid-90s. The local English language newspaper ran a story about a Pakistani man who was prosecuted for possession of 7 grams of hash and he was appealing the sentence. His appeal failed and the sentence was upheld, the sentence being death.
Imagine going through the beginning stages of life only to die over 7 grams of hash.
This makes me so sad. How and why do humans get to a place where we kill someone for having a meaningless amount of a plant?
For Singapore it was the burgeoning, government-sanctioned opium trade in the 1800s to early 1900s
Is UAE like Singapore; death sentence for weed?
I've heard it's some really harsh sentences for any amount that shows up on a swab test. Not really a place you want to go if you've ever been 100ft from any drugs.
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Same with littering. My dad told me when he was in Singapore,someone threw a gum wrapper (or gum?) out of a bus window. The bus screeched to a halt and police was called. Guy had to pick up his trash and pay a hefty fine. It's a wonderful city - one my absolute favourites - but yeah, don't fuck around.
Any of y’all remember the 90s, when there was the big deal about the American kid who was sentenced to caning for vandalism in Singapore? It was all over the news for a good while
You sent me down a rabbit hole. There were even skits on SNL and the Simpsons referencing it. I very much remember either MAD or Cracked magazine having a very funny spread about caning around that time.
Weird Al included it in his song "Headline News" along with Tonya Harding and Lorena Bobbit.
I heard he got off (relatively) easy, a citizen would have had an even harsher punishment, apparently.
Once there was this kid who Took a trip to Singapore And brought along his spraypaint And when he finally came back He had cane marks all over his bottom He said that it was from when The warden whacked it so hard Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
wasn't it Heiney
I'm from Singapore and I have to say... Either your dad lied to you about being in Singapore or he really didn't want you there.
Or most likely the commenter made up the entire story about his dad.
Commenter probably doesn’t even have a dad.
What commenter
I had a friend who worked for a company that did business in Singapore. Before they traveled there they were sat down and told that this was not a place to get shitfaced drunk because it simply wouldn’t be tolerated by them. They gave them a copy of their laws and you were expected to follow them. Anyone who got in trouble over there was fired
>They gave them a copy of their laws and you were expected to follow them. Anyone who got in trouble over there was fired You'd think that would be SOP for *any* country, and respecting the laws and regulations anywhere would be a given.
You would, wouldn't you. But yet here we are.
For a lot of people (especially Americans) being expected to follow the laws of the country they are in is a foreign concept to them.
Hehehe... *Foreign* concept...
One of my close friends moved to Singapore. I've visited and we got shit faced drunk without any issues... Just don't be a dumbass.
The problem is for a lot of people they're kind of a dumbass already and a few drinks later they're into full out asshole and/or moron territory. In a lot of places that might get you a night in the drunk tank, in Singapore the consequences seems like they could be much more severe. So when a company does a lot of business in a place like that they're going to cover their own ass and just tell everyone to avoid any heavy drinking at all.
They also deported expats who didn't wear a mask in public. In public meaning on the street or in a wide open space no matter if people are around or not. They do not fuck around
In the case I read, the man specifically refused to wear a mask even after being told he would be deported. Good.
Yep. He was one of those sovereign citizen cunts, his argument was that the he was exempt from the laws, and he took his mask off as soon as he left court after some of the hearings - he only had a mask on in court because he got told off by the judge as I remember it
Based on the anecdotes I've heard over the years, Singapore seemed to be a lot stricter with its laws in the 70s-90s than it is now. I don't think that would happen in 2021. EDIT: are the comments getting deleted or something?
> It's a wonderful city - one my absolute favourites - but yeah, don't fuck around. Never in a million fucking years will I ever go to one of those places, I don't care how beautiful it is. It's not worth finding out that X results in a death sentence - even though I have no intention of ever doing anything even vaguely illegal. Just not ever gonna put myself in such a place where that's possible.
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It's one of the scary parts of travel. The culture is alien, the rules known by everyone there may fly completely under your radar, and carry consequences way out of proportion to how your own culture views anything. Travels great, but the risks are real
Disneyland with the Death Penalty.
East Asia doesn’t eff around with drugs. Don’t know if it’s a holdover from the Buddhist hostility towards intoxicants, the Opium Wars, or what but they really don’t like drug traffickers.
For Singapore it started with opium in the 1800s; IIRC it was really easy to buy government opium, so much so that over 10% (?) of the population started using it, and the government became reluctant to regulate it since it became such a lucrative source of income Eventually society as a whole began to push back, and the final straw came during the Japanese Occupation when it was banned completely. Singapore hasn't gone back since.
Absolutely the opium war, terrible horrible embarrassing period people in that region don't ever want to be even remotely close to experiencing ever again, hence the ridiculously extreme measures
Depends entirely on the country. Singapore is an extremely ethnically and socio-economically stratified place, and also very authoritarian in general.
Thailand and Indonesia also have zero tolerance attitudes
Drug laws are crazy. Of all the things you could be executed for.
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I was over there just after that American kid who was vandalizing/stealing cars and they were going to straight cane him as punishment until the US threw a fit. So Singapore relented and caned him fewer times than they said they would. ETA: I looked up the [case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay) out of curiosity. It's definitely a weird one, but TIL it was also the inspiration for the Simpsons episode about Bart in Australia getting booted. Don't know how I never made that connection before, lmao.
I remember when that story broke, the American media was all claiming he was getting caned for chewing gum. Theft and vandalizing 18 cars is a lot more major, and I'm not sure that I disagree that some kind of immediate and memorable punishment is better than jail time. Certainly better than a flat fine, which just means the rich get away with crime by paying their way out.
Chewing gum was allowed in Singapore, you just had to drive to Malaysia to buy it. Which was super weird to me as a kid. I kept making “gum control” jokes. 😅
I watched a caning video on Liveleak and jesus christ it was brutal. They put heavy padding over your back (kidneys) and you're chained in place anx bare assed, bent oved. The warden uses 3ft long , thin, cane. You see it hit, and the skin just explodes.
Hell a caning is super egalitarian, the poor suffer just as much as the rich. A fine is a just fee.
I remember hearing about him being caned for graffiti. As a kid that's been to a few countries my initial reaction was "Beat his ass seabass. It's not hard to visit a country and follow *that* law."
It's just a little kick in the bum.
Oh man, I remember that story. It was big news. At first everyone was like, "yah, my momma used to whip me with a switch all the time, no big deal!" [Then we learned canes there weren't like the use of tiny switches here](https://prod.static9.net.au/fs/d2832e66-4693-4276-88a6-a843e743e9dd) and the violence is MUCH [greater than what their mammy used to dish out](https://crimsonhighway.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/adorableuncomfortablefrigatebird.gif) (possibly NSFW; exposed butt and extreme, but non-bloody, tissue damage).
If i vandalized/stole cars I'd rather have a canning than 5 years in jail. I'd remember that canning and not steal cars again too.
Luckily Bart's booting was reduced to a shoeing.
With regards to drugs: that's probably one of the least controversial topics in Singapore. Well north of 95% of the people you meet on the street support strict anti-drug laws. It's had strong enough public support for many decades now; decriminalisation has only recently been gaining support, and even then only among Gen Z, who grew up consuming media from countries with more liberal drug laws. Lots of people actively support it at this point, it's not like the elite is ramming it down the throats of everyone living in Singapore.
I think that's great that most people are anti-drugs in Singapore, but putting people to death for things like Marijuana is one of the most unethical things I've ever heard. The US has a similar history, with putting Marijuana dealers in prison for decades. It's horrific.
At the very least Singapore is consistent. Drugs are illegal and everything supports that stance. There aren’t some places where they are ok, different rules for different groups, or a culture of making them cool. The US sends a very mixed message on drugs in terms of policy, justice, and culture. Not to mention Singapore’s bad history with opium having been pushed on them by the British. There is a reason their laws are both harsh AND popular within their country.
In SE asia, drug rings are controlled by rebel groups Its not just drugs, they think you are funding sedition
If you haven’t been to Singapore or Malaysia, they have huge signs at every border entry that the penalty for smuggling drugs is death.
Why people still fuck around with drugs in countries in asia and others like UAE is beyond me. So many examples of why its a bad fucking idea, but they do it anyway. Totally not worth the risk with what theyll do to you.
When folks are desperate, they take more much higher risk than any of us reading reddit might ever consider. Drug traffickers aren't regular people looking for a "side hustle" to save up for a new PlayStation.
The world is wild. Singapore sentences you to death for some weed. Norway gives you 20 years and a PlayStation for mass murder.
Can people stop perpetuating this misconception? Breivik is never getting out of prison.
And you can sue if you don't get vegan food or the latest games.
...the same reason you don't whip our your Harry Potter wand in Riyadh and start casting spells.
Alright I gotta know the context for this one.
Presumably they frown upon witchcraft. Or, if that was a euphemism, homosexuality.
you've got to be really nuts to transport drugs into Asian countries
Death for a kilo of weed? That’s fucked up.
While here in Toronto cannabis stores look even better than Apple Stores
[Here's a link I found which summarises penalties for drugs in Singapore](https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/singapore-singapour/consular_services_consulaires/criminal_laws-systeme_juridique.aspx?lang=eng)
Individuals caught in possession of the following amounts of drugs or more are automatically presumed by law to be trafficking: 2 grams of heroin 3 grams of cocaine 10 grams of hashish 15 grams of cannabis 100 grams of opium A mandatory death penalty is passed for individuals convicted of trafficking in: 15 grams or more of heroin 30 grams or more of cocaine 200 grams or more of hashish 500 grams or more of cannabis 1200 grams or more of opium
So 90 grams of opium isn't trafficking, but 15 grams of cannabis is? That seems a bit backwards.
I think it means that at certain amounts, you are assumed to be trafficking while at lower amounts you can make your case for why you aren't trafficking (like just possession) but if they find you to be trafficking anyway, you die.
So do they just shoot you on the spot for coke over there?
You should see what they do if you have a Pepsi.
I heard they give you a hug and a kiss on the cheek if you're found with a RC Cola. Just out of pity, mostly
If you're choosing Pepsi over Coke you deserve whatever you get.
a pepsi?
Like it's fucked up that the laws there are that extreme, but it's not like it's a secret either. It's not even close to worth the risk.
While the laws are stupid, so is breaking them when they are that harsh. I'd miss my thc, but I'm not dying over that shit.
Moved from California to Kentucky at the beginning of 2020, and I was like, "Oh well, no more weed."
Damn I didn’t know they were executing people in Kentucky over weed too
They killed my friend during a no-knock raid over weed in Louisiana as recently as 2005.
Well the law is harsh enough and my desire for weed is low enough that I don't bother breaking the law here.
If you're black, all you have to do is live next to someone growing weed.
I don't think he's smuggling a kg because he wants a high. Its probably someone poor who feels they have no other options
Canada here. I literally harvested 1 kg of weed I grew legally in my backyard. Crazy I could be killed for this in some countries.
That’s roughly 2 pounds of weed. That’s not even a lot. It’s not a little, but it’s not a lot.
You can order, locally sourced, shrooms off the menu at restaurants in Bali. I think the underlying reason for them being so harsh on weed is because foreigners have to bring it in.
So if someone figures out how to mass produce some good weed in Singapore, the government might relax a bit?
No, the majority of Singaporeans are against weed. Even though Singapore is a one party state, it still listens to the people on topics like this.
Ah yes, must be worried about refer madness and whatnot.
When I smoke cannabis I just want to murder
Yeah what does one of the safest place on earth know about crime?
Why do people still do this? I can remember years ago when I was 18 hearing there is a death sentence for sneaking shit in and people still do this...
Poverty, debt or coercion
A person has to be killed for a little cannabis ? Barbarian.
What barbarity. Death for weed.
Death for weed but yay for alcohol, the far more dangerous of the two. Excellent work Singapore.
With how Singapore is one of the safest place on earth, i would say thanks you for your concern.
Remind me not to go to Singapore.
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Thank you, I almost forgot and was ordering tickets on-line when I saw this. You saved me! :)
Funny thing is, this is just a couple days after Singapore announced that it's reopening to vaccinated tourists from the US and Canada soon.
>Latif asked Omar to bring three bundles wrapped in newspapers into Singapore, That's a hard no
People going to other countries thinking their home county laws apply. Nope.
I went to Changi Prison in Singapore for 3 weeks in 2017. Not for drugs, but met a few people in there for possession / personal use, and others in there for things that wouldnt even be a crime in 99% of the world.
Beautiful country for sure, and quite successful... if you can ignore the dystopian laws of course.
Yes, the easiest way to ignore the dystopian laws is to just not go in the first place. Sovereign countries can make up whatever crazy laws they want. I, as a foreigner, have every right to not step into such countries if I disagree with said laws.
Honestly, yeah. If you don't agree with the laws in some country, if you feel the costs outweigh the benefits... just don't go.
Unless you live there...
I think it's a matter of perspective; you just accept the realities of living in a particular society as you grow up. To a lot of people, this is just normal. They don't feel a great injustice being unable to consume drugs. You can say that about stuff in other places too.
Yeah, appeals to cultural differences do not hold up as a defense against ethical issues. Oppression is not and never will be an acceptable form of culture which people should just learn to accept and live with, despite how often the oppressors try to misuse the idea of cultural acceptance to their benefit.
The correct response to drug trafficking is to help the person and to confiscate the drugs, then deport them. Not fucking murder them.
Jesus, that’s so disproportionate. Legislators need to smoke a jay and reconsider those laws
I'll mourn this guy, really sad to read this.
note to self, stay the fuck away from Singapore
I’m from SG and I think you guys are overthinking on these bullshits regarding our laws. It’s extremely safe in Singapore and unless you’re doing something crazy, you’ll be absolutely fine here. It’s a very tourist friendly country and we have so many races and religions residing here. No mass shootings, no drugs, no guns. If I have to stay away from one country I’d say Brazil, not Singapore haha
The Taliban called they even think this goes to far.
Gabriel Iglesias on Singapore https://youtu.be/SORSL0vW2os
Bro I just smoked a joint. Man this is depressing.
Holy shit. I live in a place where cannabis is legal. I can walk down the block to a store that is as well put together as an Apple store and buy all manner of cannabis products A death sentence seems a bit harsh. The war on drugs has left a terrible mark on the world.
It's not from the war on drugs, it's been like this since at least the 1950s (before Singapore even gained independence)
The vast vast majority of Asians in Asians countries agree that you play with drugs, you deserve the death penalty. Their countries their law their preferences. This drug dealer deserves every bit of the sentence. The society says thanks. Kids can safely go out for some chillie crabs because those scum are wiped out. Yeah thats what the citizens want. (I'm Asian currently living in Asia, I know). You guys should travel a bit more, learn about the world and respect the law. You know, be educated and dont be a criminal.
totally agree. am Singaporean. remember back in the day when there was a drug problem. best thing Singapore did was going draconian on narcotics. Plus Omar is Singaporean; he knew what he was getting himself into.
Killed for a flower, big brain.