Traveling through Southeast Asia, backpackers are often stopped by vendors selling hand-made jewelry, cold beverages and reprinted paperback books. But because my travel companion’s lower face was covered in a massive beard, and the curls on his head had nearly grown to shoulder length, we were stopped constantly and asked to buy pot.”Hey, you smoke?” the scrawny local guy, lounging in the doorway, would shout at my hippie-looking friend.
As I explained in Part One (North America, South America and Europe), the legalization of marijuana around the world is a complex issue challenging cultural norms, religious beliefs and economic stability. And while the following information does not reflect my opinions or behavioral choices, I do believe that this is a trend will continue to affect the destinations we visit, and how we choose to travel through them.
Asia:
The Golden Triangle – a poppy-growing region covering corners of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand – has historically given parts of Asia a certain wild-west reputation, where drugs are the law. And while some countries tolerate the use of marijuana for traditional religious purposes, most federal governments actually treat consumption and possession as a major felony. In Japan, punishment is several years’ jail time and hard labor. In Malaysia, smokers get five years behind bars, while those caught trafficking are given a mandatory life sentence.
- Most progressive country: India – The consumption and cultivation of marijuana is legal, while possession is legal with a government license. Liquid cannabis, or bhang, is easily sold and purchased, often in coordination with Hindu and other religious ceremonies. The plant itself grows freely in many parts of the country, and individual states maintain their own laws regarding its public sale.
- Strictest laws: Indonesia – It’s not just the legalities that make Indonesia so dangerous for pot smokers, but the high-profile cases of Western prisoners caught using and moving drugs. When a five-year sentence is typical for possession of one joint, any activities connected to marijuana can seriously ruin your life. Tourists may get away with a public puff in Bali, but take it from Australian citizen Schapelle Corby, who narrowly escaped a death sentence for smuggling pot – it’s not a habit worth practicing here.
- Get your literary high: Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts – After escaping from an Australian prison, Roberts’ main character flees to India to start a new life. Through the pages of this epic, based loosely on real events, the former convict becomes involved in the underworld of Mumbai. His detailed observations of daily life involve reflections on the city’s drug culture, as well as his involvement within it.
Africa:
With so many distinctive countries in Africa, it’s difficult to generalize one opinion or legal status toward marijuana. In Egypt, pot is illegal; but, due to its traditional use as a medical treatment, consumption is not always strictly enforced. In Comoros, the drug was only legalized for two years in the 1970s. In Morocco, smoking is definitely illegal, but police value tourism dollars and tend to ignore a casual joint.
- Most progressive country: South Africa – In February of 2014, a bill was presented before South Africa’s congress calling for the legalization of cannabis for medical, industrial and economic purposes. The bill proposed establishing several research hospitals to further study the effects of weed on medical patients.
- Strictest laws: Ethiopia – Though other countries have stricter punishments for marijuana consumption, Ethiopia is arguably the toughest. Birthplace of Jamaica’s Rastafari movement, (which worships the first Emperor of Ethopia, Haile Selassi I, and encourages the frequent use of cannabis), Ethiopia outlaws the drug itself. Possession can result in a minimum six-month prison sentence.
- Biggest weed event: Cape Town Global Cannabis March – Part of an effort to raise awareness and increase political action toward the legalization of marijuana, this is one of 800 marches in different cities across the globe. The organized walks began in 1999, and Cape Town’s event attracts thousands of supporters each year.
- Get your literary high: Africa and the War on Drugs, by Neil Carrier and Gernot Klantschnig – The two authors study the influence of Western factions on the drug war in Africa, and look deeper at how this continent is an underestimated front in the narcotics war. Not just an educational text, the book is filled with stories about the colorful, dangerous characters of Africa’s drug scenes.
South Pacific:
Australia has become a key market in the international drug trade, as products from South America make their way to this southern island to be sold for hugely inflated prices. Because yachts with smuggled goods stop at Pacific Islands on the route over, the whole area has become involved. Cannabis is actually grown on some islands of Fiji and Vanuatu. And the little nation of Palau claims the most pot smokers, per capita, in the world.
- Most progressive country: Australia – Of the country’s eight states and territories, half have legalized pot in small doses. The use of marijuana for medical purposes often gains media attention and is a topic of some federal debate. The Queensland town of Nimbin is renowned as the Mecca of cannabis users in Oz, and hosts the area’s biggest event, Mardi Grass.
- Strictest laws: French Polynesia – Absolutely no amount of weed is allowed for consumption or possession in this tropical country. All related activities may be punished with 2 months – 1 year jail time, and a large fine.
- Biggest weed event: Mardi Grass – A celebration of cannabis culture in the northern town of Nimbin, this is both a party and a rally for marijuana law reform. Visitors camp within park grounds, and participate in entertaining events like a weed Olympics, public march and pot art.
- Get your literary high: Dopeland, by John Birmingham – A cult author in Australia, Birmingham’s marijuana-themed novel follows his travels around the country. Meeting pot smokers and investigating the politics behind the drug, his book is both a humorous narrative and cultural observation of the region’s changing drug environment.
Have I missed out on the legalization of marijuana in any other countries? Are there other books or events that better portray the cannabis culture in these regions? Let me know!
Photo credits: Bart Everson, Wikimedia Commons; O’Dea, Wikimedia Commons; Cannabis Training University, Wikimedia Commons.