By Jon Hiltz

 

Due to ongoing global marijuana reform, there are a number of places where people might feel comfortable traveling with cannabis seeds. The United Arab Emirates shouldn’t be one of those places.

In December of last year, an unnamed 34-year-old Austrian man was arrested at the Dubai International Airport after law enforcement found 960 grams of cannabis seeds in his luggage. The man was en route from Afghanistan back to Austria, where the seeds were intended to be for his wife who suffers from different neural diseases.

Instead of bringing the seeds of medicine home to Europe, he was jailed in Dubai. In February, the man was handed a ten-year prison sentence and fined the equivalent of $27,225 USD.

This week, however, must have been the best seven days of his life. The lawyer for the man, Faisal Alzarooni, managed to take the case to the appeals court and was successful in obtaining an acquittal by arguing that the cannabis was meant for medication and there was no criminal intent.

When the man entered his not guilty plea, he added that he was not aware carrying cannabis seeds in transit was against the law.

“My client recently obtained an Austrian citizenship and passport under the political refugees’ program. His wife cannot leave Austria and had to stay there for a permanent period of time to be able to obtain the passport,” said Alzarooni to the court. “She is sick and suffers from different neural diseases and requires medication. Her husband traveled to Afghanistan to visit his mother, he purchased the seeds as medicine for her. On his way back, he had to transit through Dubai and did not have the intention to stay here. Hence, he did not bring the substance to smuggle them into Dubai,” Alzarooni argued.

The lawyer then provided medical reports to prove the man’s wife is sick and added, “We ask the court to overturn the suspect’s imprisonment and fine. He did not have any criminal intent. Besides, those seeds are sold openly in pharmacies in Afghanistan and Austria.”

With that, the judge overturned the ruling and this man received a decade of his life back.

Although thankfully, the world is witnessing an emerging renaissance for cannabis both medically and otherwise, the clear takeaway here is that marijuana reform still has a long way to go. For those who desperately need cannabis medicine and cannot get it where they are, it’s best to be as cautious as possible when taking anything over a border.

To the unnamed man who has gone from a 10-year prison conviction to an acquittal, congratulations.