It‘s true! You can ask the embassy for a copy
Many thanks to the person who shared that you can ask your local Chinese embassy for a copy of „The Governance Of China“.
I reached out to the Chinese embassy in Vienna and got not only a super friendly response, but also an invite to the embassy + 6 copies of the German translation (2x II, III, IV)!
An invite to the embassy sounds nice. Remember, it's technically China over there.
Would you be put to death for sneaking in weed?
EDIT: what I gather from all the triggered tankies replying to me is that the answer is "probably"
The fact that your username is gamer to go with this makes it hard for me to believe that you aren't a parody.
did you post on lemmygrad and get upset over tankies replying to you
EDIT: what I gather from all the triggered tankies replying to me is that the answer is "probably"
who need they embussy hotboxed
Try it.... please.
I couldn't imagine being such a tryhard to break laws in other countries, but give it a test, bro. We'll write you once you touch down in your cell.
This is such an incredibly pathetic comment lmao
Just stuck with a rebellious child mentality for life but somehow thinking it's cool as hell
Pop quiz: Can you name one reason why China might be hostile to foreigners smuggling drugs into their country?
EDIT: what I gather from all the triggered tankies replying to me is that the answer is "probably"
Alternatively, shut up and walk through this door:
Aren't they also hostile to their own citizens growing/having/smoking weed?
Of course, their laws aren't racist. And their opium crisis was also perpetuated by local traffickers and growers as well. (Warlords would fund personal armies off opium sales, for example)
I get the racism around drug laws in the US, but racist laws aren't the only kind of bad law. It's whatever though. I'm not here on some "China bad" bs. I just don't think anyone should be punished for smoking weed.
I mean, I agree, i want global liberalization of narcotic law, really as a right to bodily autonomy first and foremost. But it's a complicated subject with a fraught history in many countries. Drug criminalization is not just governed by national law but also international treaties at the UN (and LoN, drug laws are old af). And its global criminal status also chokes the supply and transport which makes the drugs trade extremely lucrative and thus lots of shady powerful characters (like the CIA) have a interest in keeping it illegal globally.
It would need to be an international effort negotiated multilaterally like climate change or AI. Until then just leave your blunts at home if you go to Asia, its not associated with fun times and Bob Marley, more like exploitation and suffering unfortunately.
I'm aware of the history and in particular the US DEA role in Asia. It sounds from your comment that we are in agreement around the fundamental ethics of the issue. That's all I'm really saying. I accept that the present is built on the foundations of the past, and that some things change more slowly than others. I haven't smoked weed in over 20 years, but that doesn't mean I think anyone should be punished for it. When I travel I'm more concerned with the quality of the local beer :)
The Chinese government is not big on drugs in general, yes. Part of that is that, like most elsewhere, the higher ranks of the CPC tend to be older and more socially conservative, but also China has some very understandable generational trauma about drugs from the Opium Wars and ensuing century of humiliation.
They do have very strict laws regarding drugs largely due to the historical problems they had.
It’s definitely something I hope changes in the future but unfortunately don’t think it’ll be for a while based on talks I’ve had with even young people there.
See this is weird to me. What do you mean you hope it changes in the future? The people there don't want it to change. Thats why it's like that. If the chinese people wanted there to be looser restrictions on drug use there would be. Every chinese person i talk to agrees recreational drugs are "poison".
Why should people from outside China be projecting their own desired policies onto China? You can push to have drug legalization in your own country if you want it, but why would you want China to do that?
In my house we do not do drugs. If my neighbors want to do drugs in their house thats great i wish them the best, but if they try to come to my house and do drugs, or try to make me do them, it will be a problem. Respect the Chinese peoples choices. Even if you don't agree personally.
The people there don't want it to change.
It's true that the Chinese population in general are anti-drug, but they're not a monolith. Lots of young Chinese enjoy(ed) recreational drug use, especially prior to the crackdowns in the late 2010s where many were caught and severely punished.
It’s more that I would like to move there but the strict drug policy on weed would be problematic for my wife and I. That’s why I said I hope it would change in the future.
Obviously the majority of people there currently do not want that and I respect that so I don’t expect them to change based on my personal preferences or anything like that and would not do anything like that while there visiting.
I understand, but that's the thing about moving to another place. You must choose the place that you fit in best, and just accept it as it is. If you are truly committed to moving to China you should consider that maybe the weed issue wouldn't be your only barrier to assimilation. Are you prepared to change yourself to fit in there?
It’s definitely something I hope changes in the future
Why? Why should a successful policy that protects China and the Chinese people change? This is not like the US's failed "war on drugs", this actually works and prevents all kinds of bad secondary effects. You realize that the international drug trade is intrinsically linked with imperialism? From the opium trade of the 19th and early 20th century to the CIA's drug smuggling, empire has always used drugs to further its nefarious aims.
We recently even had a post about the history of how drugs were used specifically against China, and not just in the Opium Wars: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/7620593
I’m well aware of the history and effect the Opium and other hard drugs have had on China and understand why that’s lead to their current policy.
I was talking about weed specifically with my comment but should have been clearer.
Edit: Also again I’m not expecting them to change policies just for my personal preferences, the majority of people there support the policy so I respect that
Yeah I just had this convo on RedNote. It took fucking decades here in the US to overcome "Reefer Madness". Hopefully it won't take China that long.
China doesn't care about reefer madness, they care about not giving foreign imperialists an avenue to destroy social cohesion by funding organized crime and getting people addicted. Obviously weed isn't that big of a deal vs harder stuff but they are not in a position to take that risk. The century of humiliation and the opium wars were not that long ago, I think it'll be a while before the prevailing view changes.
I think it is analogous to reefer madness. It isn't based on biological or social science. It isn't even based on history, since opium isn't cannabis. Why should domestic production of cannabis be a vector of foreign imperialism? Cannabis is not a western invention. Does alcohol not pose the same and more risk to Chinese society? How do they cope with that?
I have to disagree here, I think for it to be analogous, there would need to be a specific focus on marijuana. China has a blanket disdain for drugs excepting alcohol and tobacco, and that's only because those were already deeply entrenched in society and it would have been counterproductive to restrict or ban them, though there are now restrictions on excessive drinking and smoking in shared spaces to curb the worst excesses.
I think perspective matters a lot here, because to Chinese people, it isn't just about weed being no more harmful than tobacco or something; this is something ingrained in the national consciousness, of drugs being foisted upon a people who didn't want it, and having irreparable damage done as a result. Lumping weed in the same vein as opium or meth might seem like an extreme overreaction to you, but it represents a "we're not taking any chances with this" mentality that derives from prior experience of having your society torn apart by them, perfectly rational in their experience.
This is one of those things where its not CPC boomers being out of touch and overreaching, this is something that the vast majority of people in China hold an opinion on and have presented the CPC with a mandate to do something about it.
That said, I do think at least laws on weed will be relaxed further as China becomes more secure in its position in the world, especially since there's precedent for its use in ancient China and its still regarded as having medicinal properties in TCM, its just judged that the risks are not worth it at this time, give it 20 years or something.
Why do you care what China does? The Chinese people do not want drugs in their country. The word for drugs in chinese is poison. This is not some directive from the government that people do not agree with. The majority of Chinese people don't want drugs to be allowed, and China is a democracy. The people decided so respect their choice please. If you want drugs in your own country you can decide that too. Let China make its own choices.
Chill out please. Am I not allowed to have opinions about China? Not even mild criticism? I understand that the policy is popular. It is similarly popular in Sweden. In both country's case, I believe it is based on ignorance. Do Chinese people not think of alcohol as a drug?
They aren't super fond of alcohol either as far as i've seen. Have any opinion you want, but why presume you can make a better choice for China than the Chinese themselves made? I personally do not do drugs, and that includes alcohol, at all. For me a policy like China's is better. For you a different policy is better. This is because different people in different places need different policies. So what i am saying is it is best to only try to advocate for changes in your own home, and not to try to decide what is best everywhere else.
The death penalty would only be used in the most serious of cases. The amount you carry changes what the punishment is. A small amount is a minor crime, but if you have a large amount, more than you could use yourself, it is assumed you are distributing it. Which is much more serious. You are not going to be executed for having a few joints.