The Drug War...in Saudi Arabia

People like to think that the drug laws in our country act as a deterrent. This may be true, to a limited extent, but let's look at another country, Saudi Arabia:

Seizures of amphetamines have risen sharply in Saudi Arabia, suggesting a surge in consumption of the illegal stimulant in the kingdom, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported yesterday.

Saudi Arabia accounted for 28 per cent of all global amphetamine seizures in 2006, the latest year for which data are available, according to the UNODC's annual report.

Over 1/4 of all global meth confiscations came from a country with about 27 million people. And you can't blame lax drug laws there:

From the US State Dept:

CRIMINAL PENALTIES: ... Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses.

Persons violating Saudi Arabian laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, imprisoned or even executed. Suspects may be detained without charges or legal counsel, and with limited consular access, for months during the investigative stage of criminal cases.

Penalties for the import, manufacture, possession, and consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs are severe. Convicted offenders can expect jail sentences, fines, public flogging, and/or deportation. The penalty for drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia is death. Saudi officials make no exceptions.

Deterrence indeed.

Via Marginal Revolution.