Do you know that possessing pepper spray in certain countries is ILLEGAL?
Who would have thought? Not me, nor my friends. Not most everyone! So here I am writing this – a PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT. Read it again:
PEPPER SPRAY IS ILLEGAL IN THESE COUNTRIES:
Hong Kong
Macau
Singapore
Japan
Thailand
Australia
New Zealand
India
Belgium
Denmark
Italy
Norway
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
Nigera
Iran
Vietnam
Finland
Greece
Iceland
Ireland
Netherlands
Romania
Brazil
Now, why am I sharing this information? Because apparently, people are unaware of such law! I have heard three (3) horror stories of people being held at the airport (by the police) for possessing pepper spray. They were brought INNOCENTLY and they got held at the airport for having it in their personal bags. Being detained in a foreign country with a language barrier is NO JOKE. I can only imagine the stress and anxiety one feels. You can be detained for as little as an hour to more than 24 hours! Police will come in to put everything on record and you will get questioned. Some get let go easily with a warning, but just recently I was told that someone got held in custody for 24 hours! Not only that, in Macau – they even go as far as pursuing a criminal case against the possessor!! So please, be MINDFUL of what you bring. Please remember to take it out of your bags whether it be a carry on bag or your checked-in luggage. Leave it at home. I repeat – LEAVE IT AT HOME!!
