The 6 worst places in the world to get caught with cannabis

While a green wave sweeps the Western world, there are still some countries that have harsh penalties for cannabis possession. From prison time to beheadings, these are some of the countries you don't want to get caught with weed.

In recent years, the world has seen a general loosening of cannabis laws, concerning both medicinal and recreational use of the drug. Today, over 60 countries have legalised cannabis for medicinal purposes while, earlier this year, Germany finally introduced legislation to legalise recreational cannabis, becoming just the third country in the world to do so.

Cannabis reform has certainly come a long way. Yet, with all these promising developments, there remain a number of countries in which you would never want to be caught with cannabis. We’re taking a look at the 6 countries with the harshest cannabis laws.

Singapore

The Asian city-state of Singapore, with its 5.7 million citizens, is known for its modern architecture, spotless streets, and low crime rate. But it is also known for having some of the strictest drug laws in the world. In fact, Singapore is one of 34 countries (more of which will also be featured in this list) that retains the death penalty for drug-related offences – including offences concerning cannabis.

Classified as a Class A drug under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act, possession or consumption of cannabis could land you up to 10 years in prison a S$20,000 fine (around £11,500), or both. In some cases, corporal punishment in the form of caning may also be ordered. But the worst sentences are reserved for those trafficking cannabis.

Singaporean law permits the death penalty for those convicted of trafficking more than 500g of cannabis. One of the most recent incidences of the death penalty being passed for cannabis offences in Singapore was in 2023 with the execution of Tangaraju Suppiah, who had been found guilty of abetting the trafficking of around 1kg of cannabis.

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been pushing to improve its global relations in recent years, having opened up to tourists in 2019. But the country’s ultra-conservative drug laws remain in place with the use and possession of cannabis (and any other recreational drug) being strictly illegal.

If caught in possession of cannabis for personal use, first-time offenders generally face one to six months in prison, with the potential addition of whippings. Dealing cannabis could yield a sentence of up to 10 years, again with whippings, while repeat offenders and traffickers could even face death by beheading.

While there may be some degree of leniency for foreign citizens (who are typically deported) it’s a good idea to steer away from cannabis altogether in this part of the world.

Malaysia

The cultivation, possession, and use of cannabis is strictly illegal in Malaysia. While being caught in possession of small amounts for personal use could land you five years in prison, a fine of up to RM20,000 (around £3,300), or both.

Cultivation of cannabis can see individuals facing a life sentence, and possession of more than 200g of cannabis will be presumed as trafficking in narcotics, for which, until July 2023, there was a mandatory death penalty if convicted. Even now, trafficking cannabis can earn you 30-40 years in prison and caning or the death penalty in Malaysia, depending on the judge passing the sentence.

In recent years, Malaysian lawmakers have made moves to reassess certain aspects of the country’s medical cannabis laws. Prompted by the public outcry over the death penalty imposed on a man who had sold cannabis oils to the sick, Malaysian lawmakers have vowed to reassess their approach to medical cannabis. Still, Malaysia’s cannabis laws remain among the harshest in the world.

Brunei Darussalam

Brunei is a tiny island nation located on the majority-Malaysian island of Borneo in the South China Sea. The country’s legislation is controlled by a sultanate and is strongly based on Sharia-Islamic beliefs. While cannabis is the second-most used drug in Brunei (after methamphetamine), penalties are extremely harsh.

The use and possession of cannabis can lead to a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison in addition to a hefty fine (approx. £14,500). Cannabis trafficking, possession with intent to traffick, or import/export of cannabis can even result in a death sentence, depending on the quantity of the drug.

Indonesia

Indonesia is known for its ancient temples, stunning beaches – oh, and some of the harshest drug laws in the world. Under the country’s 2009 Narcotics Law, cannabis is listed as a type-1 narcotic (the most restrictive category), alongside opium, cocaine, and methamphetamine. This classification means cannabis is also forbidden for medicinal use.

Possession of cannabis can land offenders with a prison sentence of up to 12 years and a Rp 8 billion (approximately £380,000) fine. Harsher penalties are also handed out for producing, exporting, importing, and distributing cannabis (up to 15 years imprisonment and a Rp 10 billion fine (approx. £479,000).

While calls for cannabis reforms are on the rise in Indonesia, it seems they have so far fallen on deaf ears in the government.

China

China is one of the world’s largest producers of industrial hemp – low-THC cannabis plants that have traditionally been used to manufacture clothing, building materials, and other commodities. However the use of cannabis for recreational purposes is strictly illegal in the country, and penalties can be extreme.

In many cases, cannabis is not distinguished from other narcotics, including heroin and cocaine. Possession, use, and distribution of cannabis for any reason can attract prison time, the length of which will vary depending on the amount in question. However, much is unknown about China’s approach to drug control, due to the secretive nature of the Chinese government.

Some reports indicate that travellers who test positive for cannabis use, even if the drug was consumed outside the country, will be subject to deportation and blacklisted for re-entry into the country. Furthermore, while figures remain unknown, China is known to pass the death penalty for some drug offences.

Despite ongoing cannabis reforms in many parts of the world, it is important to recognise the strict laws that still exist in many countries. While the countries on this list undoubtedly have a lot to offer from a tourist perspective, if you’re set on seeking out some weed on your travels, they are undoubtedly best avoided. The good news is that there are plenty of other cannabis-friendly destinations to explore!

Source: leafie.co.uk, Emily Ledger, July 16, 2024

_____________________________________________________________________

Twitter/X | Facebook | Telegram | Contact Us

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

Alabama Set To Carry Out Execution This Week

Alabama is preparing to execute Jeremy Williams, who pled guilty to the 2021 rape and murder of five-year-old Kamarie Holland. The execution is scheduled for Thursday (August 13) at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. Williams, who is 41, requested the death penalty and waived his right to appeal, making this the first execution in Alabama this year.

Tennessee | The doctor who helps put prisoners to death

Dr. Mark Fowler assisted in the failed execution of a Tennessee prisoner. Physicians are meant to heal patients—why is he working in the death chamber? Mark Fowler, a physician with 25 years’ experience, stepped beneath the bright lights and approached the middle-aged man lying on a gurney. Around him, people in medical gowns prepared needles and sterile tubing. It had all the appearances of a hospital setting. Fowler had been called in to help establish an IV line through which the 57-year-old man, Tony Carruthers, would be injected with pharmaceutical drugs. The team had struggled to find a vein, so Fowler was summoned to set a central line—an intravenous catheter inserted into the major vein below the collarbone.

Alabama executes Jeremy Williams

Tennessee and Oklahoma have put inmates to death within 30 minutes of each other, and Alabama followed suit hours later as U.S. states executed three men in one day. Tennessee and Oklahoma put inmates to death within 30 minutes of each other Thursday, and Alabama followed suit hours later as U.S. states executed three men by lethal injection in one day for the first time since 2010. The Tennessee man was executed for killing a maid at a motel in 1985, and the Oklahoma man for killing his girlfriend in 2003. In Alabama, a man was put to death Thursday evening for killing a 5-year-old girl he had paid her mother to abuse.

Tennessee executes Darrell Hines

The state has spent millions of dollars over decades to execute a seriously ill man who was already incarcerated. The state of Tennessee executed death row inmate Darrell Hines Thursday morning, according to an advocacy group. No formal announcement of the execution has been issued by state leaders yet. The execution was slated for 10 a.m. Thursday at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. [DPN update] Hines was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. CDT. His last meal was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, corn, fries, biscuits, a chicken sandwich, chocolate chip cake, and sweet tea.

The 'Black Widow' shakes Iran: 10 death sentences for a serial killer who killed 12 men

Kolthum Akbari, an Iranian woman widely dubbed the “Black Widow,” was convicted of serial murders of elderly men she married, often temporarily. Official accounts generally center on 11 murders (plus one attempted murder), though Akbari herself gave varying figures and investigations suggested she had many more marriages. The sentencing occurred primarily in September 2025 in Mazandaran Province, with ongoing reporting and updates into 2026. The 56- to 59-year-old killer confessed to killing at least 11 elderly men after temporarily or officially marrying them; Iranian authorities have linked her to additional marriages and possible further victims.

Tennessee set to execute Anthony Darrell Hines

Barring any last-minute interventions, the Tennessee Department of Correction will execute Anthony Darrell Hines by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville Thursday morning. This week, two courts had the opportunity to halt the execution: the federal court in Middle Tennessee and the U.S. Supreme Court. Gov. Bill Lee announced Tuesday he personally would not prevent the execution. “After deliberate consideration of Anthony Darrell Hines’ request for clemency, and after a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of the State of Tennessee and do not plan to intervene,” he said in a written statement. The U.S. Supreme Court has not granted a stay or reprieve.

Oklahoma executes Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez

Oklahoma has carried out 1 of 3 executions set for the same day in the United States in another sign of the resurgence of the death penalty in the country. Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez was pronounced dead at 10:13 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. He was put to death by lethal injection for the murder of his common-law wife in 2003 at their Oklahoma City home. He admitted to police he shot her twice during an argument. Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, did not fight for his life, stunning his attorneys in July when he told the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board that he didn't want clemency. "It's time for me to pay for what I did," he said.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issues three death penalty reprieves

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued execution reprieves for three death row inmates on Friday. In a statement, DeWine said he issued reprieves for Keith LaMar, Scott Group, and Davel Chinn, all of whom were set to be executed early next year. LaMar was scheduled to be executed on Jan. 13, 2027. He was convicted of aggravated murder for the deaths of five inmates during a 1993 riot at the Southern Ohio Correctional Institution in Lucasville. He received the death penalty for four of the killings. His new execution date is Jan. 13, 2030. Watch the latest NBC4 headlines in the video player above.

Arizona prosecutors seek death penalty a second time for 2 inmates

County Attorney Brad Miller said Aug. 6 that the nature of the attack and both men's past criminal records meet the strict legal bar required for execution under Arizona law. FLORENCE, Ariz. - Pinal County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against two inmates accused of violently killing a fellow prisoner behind bars, officials announced Thursday. Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller filed a Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty against Pete Van Winkle and Tracy Hampton in connection with the fatal attack on Kenneth Thompson.

Iran’s War on Women: Executions, Floggings, and the Politics of Fear

The Iranian regime is increasingly using death sentences, corporal punishment, and judicial persecution against women—not only to silence dissent but also to intimidate a society demanding change. The Iranian regime has long viewed women as central to the country’s struggle for freedom—and therefore as central targets of repression. The nationwide uprising of 2022 fundamentally altered the political landscape, demonstrating that Iranian women were no longer merely participants in protest movements but among their principal organizers and symbols. Since then, the authorities have steadily intensified their campaign against women, expanding the use of executions, imprisonment, corporal punishment, and judicial intimidation.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog