Two Canadians in jail in Praya

A warning that even in sleepy Kuta you should stay away from drugs.

Two Canadian girls were arrested in their losmen on Saturday night for possesion of marijuana.

Drugs are illegal & carry heavy penalties. If you need or want drugs on your holidays you are better off going somewhere a bit more tolerant to them.

Geez Gemma, thanks for the warning. I wish other people would listen!!! WHY do people do drugs in Indonesia??? It just isn't worth it!

I know Loren. It baffles me.

I can assure visitors that there are undercover police looking for drugs in even the smallest of resorts!

I also can't believe anyone would be so stupid as to do drugs in Indonesia - it amazes me even more when I hear about expats smoking pot - surely they are even more vunerable with being dobbed in? Well I give those people a wide berth anyway.

Apart from the whole thing of not doing drugs when you travel full stop. I firmly believe you always need to be in control and know what is going on when you are travelling, so getting drunk or stoned is just not on.

If you have the cash no problem at all.No police,no judge,nothing at all.There are more than enough examples about this issue on this small island!!

tjabemerah wrote:

If you have the cash no problem at all.No police,no judge,nothing at all.There are more than enough examples about this issue on this small island!!

Absolute rubbish, that simply is not true. It doesn't matter how much money you have, there are actually police and authorities who are serious about catching drug users in Lombok and if you are caught by them (and they work undercover and put considerable pressure on locals to dob people in), doesn't matter how much money you have, you WILL do jail time. You may pay money and shorten your time, but personally I wouldn't want to spend one hour in an Indo jail cell. And you are pretty likely to have your visa cancelled when you are released from jail.

What 'more than enough examples' do you have? I can think of at least two well known cases, and a few more unpublicised cases, that prove you wrong.

I agree totally with Freo here.

Loren wrote:

WHY do people do drugs in Indonesia???

Why do people drugs at all??

yeah DB, after I posted the comment I thought the same thing!

Traveling is a cheap and healthy drug... enough !

Great Photos Lolo thanks for sharing.

The story has finally made the news.

The girls are still in custody and facing four years in jail.

Straight Times Story

Jakarta Post Story

For the next elections in France, I will vote for Susilo Bambang Yudoyono

Just to put things in perspective. I read thejakartapost.com almost daily. I saw the story about the girls. I also saw a story, going by memory now so may not be 100% accurate, about a Malaysian man who drugged a 15 yr old Sumatran girl in Sumatra with the intent to take her to Malaysia for sale. I believe he got the same 4 years proposed for the girls smoking a joint. How's that for crime and punishment?

May be someone should post some graphic information about jail stay in Lombok.

Often I read about comments about poor hospital conditions in Lombok.

Why would someone want to travel across the oceans and end up in a jail?

Quote :

Why would someone want to travel across the oceans and end up in a jail?

I'm sure no-one would 'want to' travel across the oceans and end up in jail. Westerners ending up in Indonesian (and Thai and Malaysian) jails on minor drug offenses is often due to them not comprehending the consequences of having anything to do with drugs in Asian countries. Back home, although pot is officially illegal, it is so commonly used that it is seen by many as being no worse than alcohol and being caught with it no worse than a traffic offense. In the West, quite often police won't even bother charging someone for being caught with a joint, and in many states in Australia (for example) we are allowed to have 2 plants at home for personal use without being charged with a criminal offense.
So people go to Indonesia and just don't get it..

Also, although jail in any country is hardly a picnic, they really have no idea about the justice system in Indonesia. They really just don't think about it at all. There have been so many movies, and messages to travellers about drugs in Indonesia (and Thailand and Malaysia) and even at the airport you see advertisements warning you - but they still don't see it or believe it. Quite often travellers will meet up with locals who will sell them/share with them a joint, and they see locals smoking and think 'this is just like back home, it's all cool'. And many get away with it, even live in Indonesia and regularly smoke pot.

So you can't tell them Josi. Even if you took them to a jail and showed them the possible consequences, there are some that would still smoke that joint. Because it won't happen to them.

Also, nice photos Lolo! We love to see Lombok photos - a little taste of home.

My husband had to smile at the woman in the pink jilbab planting rice. He commented that it might be the first time for her - she doesn't work in the sun much, and field workers only would wear a jilbab for the camera.