Travel Advisory, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

[Camelopard]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/dubai-tourists-warned-over-tough-drug-stance-779910.html

Just finished reading this rather alarming story about people being convicted and sentenced to gaol in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for drug posession. Both these places are popular transit points and being in transit does not grant you amnesty from searches.

Whilst I have no sympathy for people caught carrying illegal drugs, gaol time for innocently posessing codeine, melatonin or poppy seeds is a bit much.

"Tracy Wilkinson, 45 of West Sussex, was arrested at Dubai airport in 2005 for possession of codeine which she had been using to ease chronic back pain.
She was held in custody for 8 weeks before officials accepted proof from her doctor of its use for prescribed medical purposes only."

"Earlier this week, a 43-year-old from Middlesex was imprisoned for four years after 0.003g cannabis was found in the tread of his shoe by customs officials in Dubai. Keith Andrew Brown was stopped in transit from Ethiopia to London last September. The amount of the drug found on his shoe would not be visible to the naked eye and weighs less than a single grain of sugar."

Be carefull where you tread!!!


Also see www.fairtrials.net (http://www.fairtrials.net)

[leopard]

I wouldn't be a mistake to ask back the doctor that he's prescribed the patient a registered chemical, universally acceptable, and have no risk of raising any confusion for illegal use of the said medicines.

A substance will not change by its size, cannabis in its smallest weight will not change and identified as grain of sugar. Possessing, deliberately or not carrying it for any reason will remain be concerned as infraction, it's not because the Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

[Drew]

How do they even find 0.003g worth of cannabis?!

[Malbec]

I wouldn't be a mistake to ask back the doctor that he's prescribed the patient a registered chemical, universally acceptable, and have no risk of raising any confusion for illegal use of the said medicines.

A substance will not change by its size, cannabis in its smallest weight will not change and identified as grain of sugar. Possessing, deliberately or not carrying it for any reason will remain be concerned as infraction, it's not because the Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

It should not take 8 weeks in order for the authorities to realise that codeine was given as a prescription drug. 8 hours perhaps but not 8 weeks.

Most criminal justice systems DO differentiate between deliberate and accidental possession, in fact you'll find that accidental breaches of law are often dismissed as just that, an accident.

Having a tiny grain of cannabis on the bottom of your shoe is not the same as being found with a large stash hidden in your luggage.

I sincerely hope that you don't happen to step on someone else's discarded joint before you fly off to Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Wouldn't want you spending a few years in jail for that would we.

The problem with the Gulf States is that they've gone from being a backwater even by the standards of the Middle East to vying to become the next Hong Kong.

Noone takes any notice of a rather juvenile attitude to enforcing the law when the country is a backwater but when you're trying to attract the Beckhams and the Bransons of this world things need to be modernised sharpish. I hope the Gulf States take heed before they're publicly embarrassed in some way.

[leopard]

How do they even find 0.003g worth of cannabis?!
it's as easy measurable micron of dust shifter :)

[tsarcasm]

any of us could have 'walked' in the wrong place on that one, scary

[Camelopard]

As a follow up to this story:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/27/2173728.htm?section=justin

[leopard]

Was there any further test to this guy other than the 0.003 gms found in the luggage? If test found positive I think he deserves the sentence, but if it said negative he had it in the luggage indeliberated, someone might put it on, I defend to this guy bearing responsibility for others fault.

[Daniel]

Was there any further test to this guy other than the 0.003 gms found in the luggage? If test found positive I think he deserves the sentence, but if it said negative he had it in the luggage indeliberated, someone might put it on, I defend to this guy bearing responsibility for others fault.
I'm sorry?!?!?!?!?! do you know how much .003 grams of something is?

My god you really don't know anything. If he was carrying a huge amount I could understand but this amount was probably only enough to get an amoeba high or something.....

Like sending someone to jail for killing 1 ant or something....

[leopard]

The punishment is valid if only further test has been performed and found the guy guilty he has such illegal drugs on his urine or anything, and it left the unused 3 mgms
But if nothing found from the test, further investigation is a must whether the guy had it deliberately or not.

We produce goods from small size of dust which is free from powder. Any method used such as shifter or separator blower are made in micron and mmicron unit. I think mgram seems to be bigger than micron. It's quite easy measurable. :)

[Daniel]

The punishment is valid if only further test has been performed and found the guy guilty he has such illegal drugs on his urine or anything, and it left the unused 3 mgms
But if nothing found from the test, further investigation is a must whether the guy had it deliberately or not.

We produce goods from small size of dust which is free from powder. Any method used such as shifter or separator blower are made in micron and mmicron unit. I think mgram seems to be bigger than micron. It's quite easy measurable. :)
I'm sorry but you're completely wrong. If he had used drugs in another country then that has nothing to do with it. He wasn't in posession of any amount of drugs. Whether or not he was a drug user really has nothing to do with it. If he was intentionally carrying this amount of the substance (why would you bother?) then I would agree with the sentence. But anyone with any powers of reasoning would realise that this is obviously unintentional posession and posession of such a minute amount.....

I don't care if you can make good from dust and make it free from powder. What does it have to do with this? He's not a product of a factory.... he's a human being.

[schmenke]

How do they even find 0.003g worth of cannabis?!

That's what still puzzles me :mark:

[Daniel]

That's what still puzzles me :mark:
Or why this is a threat to Dubai :mark:

It would take 300 people carrying this much cannabis to make up a gramme of cannabis :mark: How much is required for a joint? (I honestly don't know!)

What a ridiculous country.

[schmenke]

...How much is required for a joint? (I honestly don't know!)
...

About 10 grams.









:uhoh:

[Daniel]

About 10 grams.









:uhoh:
So if 3000 people travel to Dubai with .003g of cannabis on their shoes then someone will be able to roll up a joint. 1 joint. They wanted to put someone away for 1/3000th of a joint. Pretty sad.

[N]

I've been to Dubai - and I've spent 5 months in Saudi Arabia, all I can say is, don't worry about it, if you do use drugs, then don't come, if you are clean, they don't have much to worry about it.
But another thing, why would you want to come to Dubai, for me the reason was to spend a weekend in a semi normal country after being in Saudi Arabia for too long, otherwise you'll end up going crazy, :)

To me, Dubai is nothing more than just a big construction site. Nothing is real, the whole place is artifical, I was expecting a bit more.

[Camelopard]

I've been to Dubai - and I've spent 5 months in Saudi Arabia, all I can say is, don't worry about it, if you do use drugs, then don't come, if you are clean, they don't have much to worry about it.

The intention of my original post was to make people aware of a possible 4 year gaol term for carrying headache tablets containing codeine, did you read the part about the person locked up for having poppy seeds on his clothing? Think about that next time you have a sandwich at Heathrow!

Transit though Dubai and Abu Dhabi is becomming very popular and as the original article stated, being in transit does not stop you from the risk of being searched.

This will certainly have an effect on my future travel plans, doubt I'll be flying Emerates or similar in the future. I'm already paranoid enough as it is without having to worry about being locked up for a minor oversight.

For the record I do not use illegal drugs and have very little or no sympathy for anyone caught trafficking.

[leopard]

I'm sorry but you're completely wrong. If he had used drugs in another country then that has nothing to do with it. He wasn't in posession of any amount of drugs. Whether or not he was a drug user really has nothing to do with it. If he was intentionally carrying this amount of the substance (why would you bother?) then I would agree with the sentence. But anyone with any powers of reasoning would realise that this is obviously unintentional posession and posession of such a minute amount.....

I don't care if you can make good from dust and make it free from powder. What does it have to do with this? He's not a product of a factory.... he's a human being.

This is your way of thinking to look at something independently although the use of drugs and being caught for carrying drugs is obviously has relationship and causalities. How can you have opinion that those, as instant, found using drugs while it left the unused drugs are something different and the first condition has nothing to do with the second one.

When discussion comes to why would someone bother is end of story, that I always avoid using such defense. I think there are a lot of quality words to argue each other than it. :D ;)

[leopard]

...being caught for carrying drugs is obviously has relationship and causalities...
In case this forum criticize member's English and before someone ask that this is wrong grammar, I shouldn't use 'is' for this sentence. I make this sort of mistake quite often. :(

[ShiftingGears]

This is your way of thinking to look at something independently although the use of drugs and being caught for carrying drugs is obviously has relationship and causalities. How can you have opinion that those, as instant, found using drugs while it left the unused drugs are something different and the first condition has nothing to do with the second one.

When discussion comes to why would someone bother is end of story, that I always avoid using such defense. I think there are a lot of quality words to argue each other than it. :D ;)

0.003g is insignificantly small. Do you understand? How can you possibly prove that someone was illegally smuggling 0.003g of cannabis? That defies all logic and commonsense. There is such a thing out there called a presumption of innocence. And that's just chucked out the window here as its pretty obvious as such a small amount couldve been picked up on his shoe by accidentally stepping on a joint. The 4-year sentence is completely unjust. What are you using to support your argument?

[Daniel]

0.003g is insignificantly small. Do you understand? How can you possibly prove that someone was illegally smuggling 0.003g of cannabis? That defies all logic and commonsense. There is such a thing out there called a presumption of innocence. And that's just chucked out the window here as its pretty obvious as such a small amount couldve been picked up on his shoe by accidentally stepping on a joint. The 4-year sentence is completely unjust. What are you using to support your argument?
Don't you see? He and 3000 other people intentionally stood on cannabis in an effort to transport 1 joint over to Dubai to corrupt the country entirely. I do hope Leopardsleeping is never caught with 1 molecule of heroin on him or something. Could be very nasty.....

[BDunnell]

I find the idea of allowing undemocratic nations such as these to take the moral high ground on any issue very unpalatable.

[leopard]

I do hope Leopardsleeping is never caught with 1 molecule of heroin on him or something. Could be very nasty.....
I think something made from dried leaves like tobacco is voluminuous, they fill a large volume to the weight. How much it will make some amount cannabis give its effect to the user. Unluckily, I have no experience. :)