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What You Can Get Away With…And Where

The world is an increasingly globalized place. Every time I visit a new country, I feel less of a thrill of newness, and less of an urge to shop for souvenirs, because more and more you see the same shops, the same storefronts, and the same ads on every street corner whether you’re in Madrid or Boston. However, thanks to the legal vagaries of the world, there are some experiences which you’ll only (legally) have in certain places.

One of the big differences in legal systems around the world is the decriminalization of drugs–and marijuana in particular. There are some legal pastimes you may not even have considered, however. For example, in South Africa, you can attach a flamethrower (an actual, honest-to-god flame-spitting device) to your car with no repercussions.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, a remnant of an ancient law allows a woman to kill her husband if he’s guilty of adultery…but only with her bare hands. Less surprisingly given its notoriously lax gun laws, the United States is a rare jurisdiction that permits people with an appropriate permit to own a minigun. Of course, many of these laws may be arcane relics and are probably best not relied on (especially in the case of spousal murder in Hong Kong.)