Weed is legal in Canada for everyone but South Koreans, it seems.
In the Korea Times, Yoon Se-jin, head of the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division at Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, told the paper that it doesn’t matter if you’re in Canada or not—smoking is illegal for them.
“Weed smokers will be punished according to Korean law, even if they did so in countries where smoking marijuana is legal. There won’t be an exception,” said Se-jin.
Just to hammer the point home, the day before legalization, the South Korean embassy in Canada tweeted, “even if you are in a cannabis legalization area, please be aware that if you are a citizen of [South Korea and partake in] cannabis smoking (including purchase, possession or transportation), you will be penalized for committing a criminal offense.”
It shouldn’t be too surprising though as South Korean law differs from the one that you may be used to. Their law is essentially based on the concept that the law of their homeland follows them to other countries and they, therefore, have to follow it no matter their current location. It’s not just them, Japan—who is notoriously unchill about weed—made a similar request through their consulate in Vancouver.
To make matters worse for the South Koreans looking to just chill out for a bit, cannabis offenses aren’t just a slap on the wrist in South Korea. According to theKorea Times, you can go away for five years—also according to the paper, there are about 23,000 Koreans with student visas studying in Canada.
Credit: www.vice.com