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Can you be punished in Sweden for using cannabis abroad?

What the Criminal Code says about crimes committed outside Sweden.

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Short answer

Swedish courts can try Swedish citizens and residents for crimes committed abroad, but only if the act is also punishable in the country where it took place. Using cannabis is a crime in Sweden. The sources checked give no separate rule for cannabis use abroad. This topic is for adults aged 18 and over.

Planning and entry to Sweden Illustration of a shield with a check mark, a warning triangle and a police light for safety in Sweden

Why

  1. According to chapter 2, section 3 of the Swedish Criminal Code (brottsbalken), a Swedish court can try crimes committed outside Sweden by someone who was a Swedish citizen or resident in Sweden at the time of the act.
  2. According to chapter 2, section 5 of the Criminal Code, in those cases a Swedish court has jurisdiction only if the act is also punishable under the law of the place where it was committed.
  3. According to the Swedish Police, taking narcotics yourself is a crime in Sweden.

Details

The Criminal Code is the text that governs this, and chapter 2, section 5 has exceptions, so a particular case has to be judged on its own facts and on the law of the country concerned. The sources checked do not say how the rules are applied to cannabis use abroad. Laws on narcotics abroad can be strict: the Swedish embassy's page for Thailand says that even small amounts can lead to long prison sentences. For general information before a trip, see planning and entry to Sweden.

Tip

Read the page on local laws and customs for your destination on swedenabroad.se before you travel. If you take a medicine that is classed as a narcotic, see can you bring prescription medicines into Sweden.

What may differ

The provision on Swedish citizens and residents depends on your citizenship or residence at the time of the act. The Police say it is not a crime to have a narcotic-classified medicine if you have a prescription.

Common misconception

Swedish law only applies to what you do inside Sweden.

What actually happens

According to chapter 2, section 3 of the Criminal Code, Swedish courts can also try crimes committed abroad by a Swedish citizen or resident, although section 5 requires that the act is punishable in the country where it took place as well.

People also ask

  • Can you be prosecuted in Sweden for using cannabis abroad?
  • Is it illegal for Swedes to smoke weed abroad?

Sources

This answer is for reference only. Rules can change, so check the Swedish Police before you travel.

Planning and entry to Sweden

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