Thread: Legality & Viability of vending "alternative"

I had the idea of paying a Balinese employee who carries a tray or sits at a table to vend alternative tobacco products in Bali or Lombok as a supplement to a retirement nest egg.

Some are just herbal cigarettes and some are sold on the internet as legal substitutes for Marijuana and other illegal drugs. Dagga and Kanna are herbs from Africa that have a euphoriant effect similar to marijuana but which are legal.

Some products have names that sound like what their trying to simulate such as "Devils Weed, Jamaican Ghanja Moroccan Roll, Red Afghanish, Jordanian Blonde, Zindica.

Some are plants similar to but not identical with what they are replacing such as Wild Opium.

Another product though illegal in Thailand is manufactured in Bali such as Kratom. Maybe you've seen it. One hot new product looks and smells almost exactly like marijuana and has a similar effect.

They have less tar than cigarettes and no nicotine. I feel I could be stopping young people from getting into serious trouble trying to get real illegal drugs.

So my question is how to approach selling these in Bali. I don't want to run afowl of drug laws in Indonesia. Naturally, since they carry the death penalty. I'm especially concerned about the product that looks and smells like marijuana.

I don't want customs to just assume it's marijuana and throw me in the clinker without testing it and give me the death penalty. If it were you would you just not carry that and stick with the other stuff?

I also wouldn't enjoy a corrupt police officer planting illegal drugs on me or threatening to arerest me for posession in order to get heavy bribes.

Should I go to customs and the local police headquarters and tell them my intentions? Should I get an Indonesian partner?

There are other products that are legal hallucinogens but which I refuse to carry such as Salvia Divinorum, Ayahuasca, etc...

I thought I had the Blue Ribbon Prize wrapped up for the most dumbass ideas to do in Bali- Congratulations my friend, you are #1...... Need I say more?

Your kidding right Bert?Lets think about this for a second, you live up north, way up north -is there alot of corruption where you live?.... Hmm if I was a local dope dealer or cop on the take by the local-little bali mobster drug dealers, I wouldnt really like the fact of some guy getting on my turf trying to sell -wannabe weed, hmm good name by the way. Do you really think the cops are going to do an analysis to see if your crap is "moleculary legatistical"" They arn't really CSI you know! But by all means drag a couple of Kilos through customs in the hope of defending your "position"... I'm sure you will have your day in court to prove what it is -someday, loopholes only work in countries that see loopholes as loopholes, I know, I make a living off loop holes. your time would be better spent exporting products to other countries from Bali. There you go- grow it in Bali (after many bribes, lawyers etc) then export... You wouldnt want to disrupt their system......

Save some of your "retirement nest egg" to pay some bribes to get yourself an internet connection. Then you can post us all here from prison. Maybe some of us'll chip in for an occasional food-parcel for you.

Some people believe that fish is a brain food. By the sound of it, you don't eat much fish.

:shock:

Oops - You obviously have a net connection already.

I meant for after you've been arrested, tried, possibly found "guilty", sentenced, appealed, re-sentenced, etc...(not necessarily in that order).

I concur with froggy that you most definitely do deserve some kind of prize...who knows, you might even make it into the Guiness Book of Records. I can only think that you've been abusing the same substances you want the Balinese to peddle for you.

:lol:

Being creative is a must for an entrepeneur, being fearless and stupid not.

Reasons:

1. Good chance to be put in jail
2. If not, potential customers will be afraid to go to jail

Gongchime I was quite interested in your post. Actually I hadn't heard of any of the herbs you mentioned. Kratom (which technically is not a herb) is reputed to be a cross between coca and opium and is in fact legal in most countries including Indonesia. Sounds good to me! And as you pointed out in your post it is produced in Bali.

I wouldn't be put off by the scaremongering. The sky is not going to fall in. Someone who has some actual experience importing products into Indonesia would no doubt be able to give you some good advice. I don't know of any forum members with that experience but if they do exist I hope they can respond.

Failing that I would approach customs directly and perhaps talk to a shipping agent to discuss bonded shipping. I think having customs clearance documentation would put you in a much better position.

You're right Bert

...If gongchime is able to get all the proper licenses before he starts importing the stuff, why not?...

Getting those "proper licenses", as far as I know, would mean a lot more than a visit to the Customs Office. That's up to him and I wish him all the very best in his enterprise.

Now...I can buy Kratom here already? I might try some when I can find some. A cross between coca and opium? Sounds like an upper and a downer at the same time. Can't really see the point, but I haven't tried it. I'm going to ask around.

:P