The legalizing cannabis in Canada could give some ideas, but is clearly not to everyone's liking in the international community. Through their diplomats, some countries have criticized legalization, which they believe will lead to a significant increase in international drug trafficking. Others warned their citizens that consuming cannabis would remain illegal under their jurisdiction, and that those who did so would be punished on their return to national soil. Canadian legalization had already created problems in the United States, including some Canadians were banned for life. Today, some of the most repressive countries in the world are becoming increasingly uptight about this issue.
South Korea
Cannabis only became illegal in South Korea in the 1970s. Since then, the consumption, possession and trade of the plant have been banned. are severely punished. A simple case of possession can result in a 5-year prison sentence. But the Korean criminal code applies even abroad. The Korean Embassy in Canada warned on its Twitter: «even if South Koreans are in a region where cannabis is legal, it is illegal for them to consume it».
Yoon Se-jin, director of the anti-drug division of the Gyeonggi Nambu provincial police agency, explainsThose who smoke cannabis will be punished in accordance with Korean law, even if they have done so in a country where cannabis consumption is legal. There will be no exceptions«. Korean artists are no exception to the rule. many of them were censored or imprisoned for smoking cannabis. In 2010, singer Crown J was arrested for smoking cannabis while recording his album in Atlanta, USA. Currently, 23,000 South Koreans on student visas live in Canada and are affected by the warning.
It is unlikely that South Korea will carry out screening tests. on those returning from Canada but Koreans who would like to try Canadian weed had better keep a low profile, especially on the Internet. «South Korea can't track everyone who visits a foreign country, but the police maintain a blacklist of people who are already being watched.» explains Lee Chang-Hoon, professor at the Faculty of Police Administration at Hannam University in Daejeon.
Japan
Japan has adopted a similar stance, reminding its citizens living abroad, via its consulates on Canadian territory, that the japanese cannabis control law applied despite the distance. Japan's cannabis laws provide for prison sentences of up to seven years and fines of several million yen. These laws apply even abroad, and citizens who break them will be punished accordingly.
A representative of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare suggested that there are limits to what Japan can do, particularly when it comes to acts that take place in another territory and are considered legal in that territory: «It comes down to defining whether it is possible to prove that someone committed the acts in question while abroad, once that person has returned to Japan. It's probably complicated to prosecute someone unless it's a situation where the person was caught abroad and deported to Japan».
China
China's position is more nuanced. In a letter published by the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, diplomats remind us that cannabis has harmful effects: «the Consulate would like to remind Chinese residents, especially international students: in order to protect your own physical and mental health, avoid any contact with cannabis». There are no threats of punishment once back in China, but a reminder that anyone who violates the Canadian regulatory law will then be judged in China according to national laws, which are very severe indeed.
It's on another subject that China is blasting Canada, that of international trafficking. The Canada Border Services Agency is already working with Chinese police authorities on opioid trafficking from China to Canada. Now, concerns are turning the other way. China is concerned about a possible increase in illegal imports of Canadian cannabis. According to Statistics Canada data, some 20 % of Canada's cannabis production is exported illegally to other countries. Canada wished to reassure countries concerned about an increase in trafficking that international cannabis laws remain unchanged. In other words, it remains illegal to bring cannabis into or out of Canada.
Russia
The most virulent criticism undoubtedly came from Russia, which denounced an «unacceptable» and «hypocritical» decision that «will certainly cause a considerable increase in its traffic to other states». Through a press release from his embassy in Ottawa, Russia accuses Canada of flouting international anti-drug conventions and, more generally, of flouting multilateral practices and the common goal to establish a drug-free global society.
«By consciously torpedoing the international narcotics control regime, the Canadian government is creating the world's largest drug market, which despite all the claims and measures envisaged to prevent the export of cannabis outside national borders, will certainly cause a considerable increase in its trafficking to other states, including those that strictly abide by the spirit and letter of the conventions,» states the Russian Foreign Ministry.
A spokesperson for Canada's Global Affairs Department responded: «The entry into force of the Cannabis Act on October 17, 2018 does not change our commitment to achieving the fundamental objectives of the United Nations drug conventions in order to protect the health and safety of our citizens. Canada will continue to work with its international partners to advance these goals. At the same time, le Journal de Montréal is happy to point out that Russia is accused of illegally invading Ukraine in 2014, an event that has considerably chilled diplomatic relations between the two countries, and is suspected of sending spies to poison ex-intelligence officers in the UK.
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