Alcohol and Illegal Drugs

Many countries have a different attitude about the consumption of alcohol and the legal drinking age than the US does. Most of you will find that the laws of the country where you will be studying allow persons over the age of 15 or 16 to drink all types of alcoholic beverages and that beer and wine are commonly served with meals. In spite of this, you will find that being drunk is not socially acceptable and is sometimes illegal in these countries. Drunk driving, besides the obvious dangers, carries heavy penalties abroad. For instance:

• In Australia, the names of intoxicated drivers are sent to the local paper and are printed under the heading: “He’s drunk and in jail”.
• In Malaysia, the driver is jailed. If he is married, his wife is jailed, too.
• In South Africa, the penalty is a ten-year prison sentence and the equivalent of $10,000 fine, or both.
• In Turkey, drunks are taken ten miles from town by the police and forced to walk back under escort.
• In Norway, the penalty is three weeks in jail at hard labor and one year loss of license. With a second offense within five years, the license is revoked for life.
• In Russia, the license is revoked for life.
• In England, drunk drivers face a one-year suspension of license, a $250 fine, and one year in jail.
• In France, there is a three-year loss of license, one year in jail, and a $1,000 fine.

(From the 1986 issue of Indiana State Police Silver Shield)

Americans traveling, studying, or working abroad are subject to the laws of the host country. Remember that laws concerning illegal or contraband drugs are much more severe in Latin America, Asia, and Europe than in the US, and a foreign jail is not very educational. If you are caught buying, selling, using, or carrying any type of controlled substance – from marijuana to mescaline (and marijuana was involved in 77% of the cases of Americans arrested for drug overseas in 1991) – it can mean:

• Interrogation and delays before trial, including mistreatment and solitary confinement for up to one year under very primitive conditions;
• Lengthy trials conducted in a foreign language, with delays and postponements;
• Two years to life in prison if found guilty, and some countries include hard labor and heavy fines;
• The death penalty in a growing number of countries (including Saudi-Arabia, Malaysia, Turkey, and Thailand).
• In some countries, mandatory jail sentences for individuals convicted of possessing even small amounts of marijuana or cocaine for personal use (including Mexico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic).

Remember that, once you leave the US, you are no longer covered by US laws and constitutional rights. Bail is not granted in many countries when drugs are involved. The burden of proof in many countries is on the accused to prove his or her innocence. In some countries, evidence obtained by local authorities may be admissible in court. Few countries offer drug offenders jury trials or even require the prisoner’s presence at his/her trial. Many countries have mandatory prison sentences of seven years or more without parole for drug violations.

(Source: Department of State Publication 9980, August 1992)

• The University of Northern Iowa can assume no responsibility for any student apprehended on a drug charge.
• The US Consular Officer cannot demand your immediate release or get you out of jail or out of the country; cannot represent you at trial or give you legal counsel; and cannot pay legal fees and/or fines with US Government funds.

Back to Top