Going to or through Dubai? Read this.
 

Apparently a couple of poppy seeds on your shirt or .003 grams of weed on your shoe can get you thrown into jail for years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234786.stm

I didn't realize their drug laws were quite this stiff. I mean, a couple poppy seeds?? yikes.

"Meanwhile, a Swiss national is serving a four-year jail term after three poppy seeds from a bread roll he ate at Heathrow airport were found on his clothes."


I am thinking a bagel would get you life.

:( Way too harsh. I understand zero-tolerance attitudes, but that should be AFTER common sense has been exhausted in the case.

Don't they know poppy seeds are used on food in most of the world? Or that it's possible you stepped on someones carpet that had a pot seed or something that stuck in your shoe? yeesh.. rough!

that can't help tourism

There's more story to it than that.
I've flown thru the UAE so many times with no problems.
I've been with people who were drunk in emirates where alcohol was banned, nothing happened. went swimming w/ busty danish girls in bikinis on the beaches, no issues.

Dubai/UAE has an interesting legal system - you really take responsibility for your own actions. IE - you can speed past a cop at 300km/hr - no problems. But if you crash and maim someone, you'll be in jail for a very long time.

I for one applaud a legal system like that. Actions, consequences. Deal with it.

Edit** - worth mentioning there's an almost 0 crime rate in dubai.

I really WISH we had an actions = consequences type legal system here. In general, I think we do way too much to protect those people that choose to be morons. It's silly.

And I agree that the article is highlighting some very extreme cases and not showing that the usual everyday norm is that things are probably fine. Perhaps those people were really rude or hard to handle at the airport? Maybe there were other reasons behind these poppy seeds... who knows.

However, I have heard that as an American, you can get a license or something like that to buy and have booze while you are in Dubai... so perhaps that is why you can get through the airport like that? who knows.

I don't think they care. :)

Thats one of the reasons it so safe there.

Well there is definitely something to be said for being extra harsh. I remember reading an article about somewhere that beheads people, no questions asked, when they are found guilty of any drug charges. Even the smallest amount meant death. Apparently they had almost zero illegal drug issues.

It's not dubai. Go a country across to Saudi though. They still have the weekly stonings in the town square.

Man who ever thought eating cinnamon raisin bagels can save your life. lol