| A Toronto woman smokes a bong on the day Canada legalized recreational marijuana on Oct. 17. Reuters |
By Jung Min-ho
Korean police have warned Korean residents in Canada not to smoke marijuana, saying those who ignore the warning could face criminal charges when they return to their home country.
Yoon Se-jin, head of the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division at Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, warned earlier this week that smoking pot is treated as a serious offense here and Korean smokers, subject to the laws of their country, could face up to five years in prison.
“Weed smokers will be punished according to the Korean law, even if they did so in countries where smoking marijuana is legal. There won't be an exception,” he said.
Last week, Canada became the second country to legalize weed for recreational use. Only Uruguay in South America did so earlier. (Despite its reputation for being open and liberal, the Netherlands has not legalized it fully.)
So Canada's move is drawing extensive attention from many countries that must figure out the legality of marijuana issues involving Canadians and their own citizens.
Korean police said they plan to hold briefing sessions in Canada and Uruguay to explain the risks of smoking marijuana to Korean residents.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs data, about 23,000 Koreans with student visas are living in Canada.