I know, I know. It happened in Dubai:
“A father-of-three who was found with a microscopic speck of cannabis stuck to the bottom of one of his shoes has been sentenced to four years in a Dubai prison.”
“A search by customs officials uncovered a speck of cannabis weighing just 0.003g - so small it would be invisible to the naked eye and weighing less than a grain of sugar - on the tread of one of his shoes.”
If this doesn’t enrage you to the point of utter aggravation and incredulity, I don’t know what will. (Full story here. See also Stephen’s piece arguing for legalisation of marijuana here. Hat tip to Reason for the story.)
8 responses so far ↓
1 Stephen // Apr 14, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Perhaps the idiots who dream up laws like this are themselves stoned.
S.
2 WTK55 // Apr 14, 2008 at 7:40 pm
He couldn’t pick it out of his shoe and smoke it, he couldn’t pick it out of his shoe and sell it, he couldn’t do anything with it, it’s a completely useless amount of marijuana and it’s clear how it got there, he walked over it on a street or something and it should be clear he wasn’t trying to smuggle or anything, moral of the story, DON’T GO TO DUBAI!!!!!!!!!!!
3 Liam // Apr 15, 2008 at 2:22 am
Obviously it’s draconian to the point of idiocy. Actually well beyond the point of idiocy.
But something isn’t right in the story of Mr Brown. I live in the area he comes from and it’s had a lot of media attention. He was at some kind of Rastafarian convention in Ethiopia, which lets face it was going to be awash with dope. Then he decides for no apparent reason to head back via Dubai instead of taking his usual direct route? VERY unwise. I don’t buy it that people are unaware of the draconian laws there.
I agree with WTK55 above. Don’t go to Dubai. Its not worth the risk of visiting such a place.
4 Frank Carillo // Apr 15, 2008 at 7:20 am
I agree Liam but the crazy thing is that Dubai is like the new mecca of business, they want to be the new world capital of corporate and commercial enterprise and so many people are taking their businesses there.
Wouldn’t you be scared your executive will get jailed for having a poppy seed on his possession?
5 Liam // Apr 15, 2008 at 8:14 am
Fair point Frank. I’ve never been there myself - the Middle East as a whole doesn’t appeal to me full stop.
I have to wonder though if EVERYBODY is getting the same treatment. Now and again you read an article along the lines of ‘90% of banknotes in London have traces of cocaine’ or something like that. Now what this - and the story above - shows to me is that a huge numbers of people have got trace amounts of drugs on them at any time.
If the Dubai authorities were searching everybody in that detail they’d never let anyone into the country!
Also given their anxiety to attract capital I think they’d take the approach that it’s not in their interest to penalise everyone like this. I suspect they’re just stopping a token number of people to keep the draconian lot happy. As I say, I don’t really know, just my opinion.
On a lighter note, I see on the link to the story above that one guy jailed there recently was a producer on the execrable ‘Big Brother’ TV show. There is justice in this world after all!
Regards.
6 Frank Carillo // Apr 15, 2008 at 9:02 am
Liam,
It’s very true that most people are walking around with trace amounts of illegal drugs on them at any given time, maybe they’re just making an example of this guy. Then also, have you seen him? It might have been because of the way he looks, which is discrimination of course but might explain it. CRAZY STORY JOHN.
7 Liam // Apr 15, 2008 at 12:41 pm
You’re probably on to something there Frank. I am told there is a lot of racism in Dubai, though that might be a racist assumption by me?
Like you say, crazy story.
8 John // Apr 15, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I think you’re both barking up the right tree. It’s a horrible abuse of power.
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