By Benjie Cooper
IG: @nuglifenews
YouTube: Lucid’s Vlog
On October 17, legal cannabis sales will begin across Canada, allowing citizens over the age of nineteen to purchase and consume marijuana. But while the veil of marijuana prohibition finally lifts from the face of the Canadian landscape, some visitors to the country are being cautioned not to kiss Mary Jane.
South Korea is one of the world’s top hemp producers, and the country is warming to the idea of medicinal cannabis for citizens, but recreational marijuana is still illegal.
Korea Customs Service (KCS) issued a warning this week to citizens who visit Canada, stating that cannabis use is still illegal for Koreans no matter where they are in the world, regardless of local law.
“It will still be illegal for Koreans to smoke marijuana in Canada or anywhere else,” said the KCS in a statement on Monday, August 27. “Koreans who return here after using the drug could face criminal charges.”
According to the KCS, after adult-use sales commenced in the state of California in January of 2018, the amount of cannabis seized by the agency increased by 365% from the previous year, amounting to eighteen kilograms.
Customs officials believe that the same thing will happen when Canadian sales start.
“We will strengthen inspections of people who come from Canada and their belongings as well as all packages from the country,” said the KCS. “We will continue our efforts to prevent drug smuggling.”
But while increased scrutiny of people, baggage, and other packages arriving from Canada might help prevent cannabis from getting into South Korea, it is unclear how the policy could be enforced abroad.
