Dutch Backpacker Jailed for Months in Asia for Half a Joint
Private photo Tim Bouwens
Dutch traveler Tim Bouwens has been stuck in the Philippines for over a year for half a joint. He was flying into the country from Bangkok, where it’s currently free to purchase and use cannabis. The horror began at the Manila airport after customs officials found an unfinished joint in his possession.
Dutch backpacker Tim Bouwens has now been stuck in the Philippines for 16 months. Due to bureaucratic red tape, he just can’t manage to get the coveted final official paper that will allow him to finally return home. Bouwens says he is totally spent and “not doing well.”
Tim was touring Asia, and he flew to the Philippines after he stayed for a party in Thailand. But he forgot that he still had a half-smoked joint with him. This became a problem at the Manila airport, where he was arrested and eventually sentenced to one year in prison for 0.624 grams of cannabis. He was released early, after seven months, but he is still imprisoned. Currently in a detention center, where he has been waiting for months for all the necessary papers to finally be released.
Bouwens Says He’s Exhausted Physically and Mentally
The 34-year-old said that his time in detention in the Philippines is taking a toll on his mental and physical health.
“I can’t do anymore. I’m not doing well either. I feel I’m deteriorating physically and mentally,” he said, Dutch publisher AD reported. “I can’t go to the gym at the moment, so I just lie around all day because there’s nothing here.”
Bouwens lived under terrible conditions for almost a year in prison. As before in prison, conditions are dire in the detention center, too: “The food here is terrible. The days drag on and every time I think I can almost book a ticket to the Netherlands, but then a form is still missing. No one can tell me what is happening.”
Tim’s family set up a crowdfunding campaign to help him with the extra legal costs he is incurring. Hopefully, the nightmare for the Dutch backpacker ends soon and he returns home safe, back to his friends and family.
Bouwens’ unfortunate story is another reminder that the penalties are draconian for possessing cannabis in most parts of Asia. Those penalties are even harsher for producing, smuggling or selling cannabis. Asian countries are slowly embracing change, but only in Thailand for now it’s free to use cannabis.
This story was originally reported by Soft Secrets Netherlands
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- Man Executed in Singapore for 2 Pounds of Weed
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Stephen Andrews
