"I swear I didn't know it was illegal."

[wickerwoman]

I just got back from a trip to Prague where I swear they sold absynth at the duty-free shop. I had three bottles in my basket to bring home to friends and relatives but they ended up being slightly more expensive than my spare money, so I went with chocolate instead. I told one of my friends this the other day and he swore it's illegal to bring absynth into the US (who knew?) and I would have been smuggling it. Unfortunately, I'm such a do gooder, I would have declared it on my customs form and that would probably have been the end of it.

I also went for years without knowing that it's illegal to travel to Cuba. That has to be one of the stupidest laws ever. And now they're fining human shields for going to Baghdad. Isn't it unconstitutional to restrict freedom of travel (or shouldn't it be?) If someone wants to assume responsibility for traveling to a "dangerous" area then they should be allowed to do so. And the burden of proof should be on the government to prove accusations of espionage.

Anyway, all this makes me paranoid that there is a whole slew of illegal things I don't have a clue about and am likely to just stumble into. Anyone else have any good stories of accidental brushes with obscure laws?

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Cluelessness is a good ole boy's best defense.

Don't fret about it too much. Where I live in Florida, ignorance is an affirmative defense but it only seems to work if you're a white male with connections.

[denverbill]

2. The Bush family smuggles all the time.

Who was it, Jeb's wife who tried to smuggle like $10,000 in clothing? You didn't see her in jail did you.

[ironflange]

3. Last time I was in Saudi Arabia,

I sampled a few grapes in the grocery store, and wound up having my left hand chopped off. Boy, was my face red!

[BigMcLargehuge]

4. it's illegal because it contains Extract of Wormwood

which is poisonous

[Rashind]

5. So is ethanol. n/t

[thebigidea]

6. nope, not illegal to have absynth

illegal to sell, I believe. But you can bring in a few bottles from the duty free shops without trouble.

its a lucrative market. that and importing overpriced bottles by mail.

[LynneSin]

7. That'll be Rush Porkbaugh's testamony for his Oxycontin habit

:shrug:

But they're prescribed for me!!

[Droopy]

8. I was in a bar in Wooster, Massachusets

There it is illegal to get up and walk around with a drink in your hand. It has to be on the bar or table and that's the only place you're allowed to drink it. Being from Ohio, I didn't know that and was informed by the bar tender when I went ot get up with my drink. What a wierd law.