Top weirdest laws in the world! Crazy laws from around the world that you won’t believe actually exist

12. Spread the Word
Imagine a time when the dairy industry was such a powerful political force in the United States that it was able to pressure lawmakers into passing laws against what it perceived to be its single greatest enemy - imitation butter. That’s exactly what the Missouri State Assembly did in 1895, categorizing the 19th Century’s most enticing non-butter butter products as contraband. 31 other states had similar laws on the books by 1902, but as the popularity of products like yellow margarine grew - particularly during World War I - such measures were repealed. What makes Missouri different is that the state didn’t repeal its outdated margarine ban until 2010. Until then, private dealers selling such products technically could have suffered severe repercussions: a $500 fine for repeat “offenders,” a $100 fine for a first-time slip-up, and, potentially a year in jail.


11. “A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste”
Nations and municipalities all over the world have laws against the public display of actions that may be considered lewd. But in 2013, a man and a woman visiting Dubai discovered just how broadly the definition of the term “lewd” reaches in the United Arab Emirates, where they were reported to police by an onlooker for “kissing passionately” on a beach. The man’s defence was that he only appeared from a distance to be kissing the woman when he was actually performing CPR as his companion suffered an asthma attack. The police did not believe his story. The couple was arrested and placed on trial by the Dubai Misdemeanor Court. They were then sentenced to a year in prison and subsequent deportation.


10. You Better Believe It
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and religion to all citizens, but seven U.S. states - Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas - had their own ideas over the course of history. In each of these states, there remain laws barring atheists from holding public office or, in some cases, serving on juries. In Pennsylvania, while there is no direct prohibition of atheists in public life, the commonwealth's constitution does declare political candidates who don’t believe in “a future state of rewards and punishments” unqualified for public posts. While the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1961 that such laws were unconstitutional, none of these states have officially rescinded their measures against non-believers.



9. Outside Interference
In 1999, Canada’s parliament passed a revised version of the Elections Act - a broad-sweeping set of rules dictating the nation's regulations of its democratic processes. Included within the newly introduced and approved language was a statute stating that non-Canadians cannot encourage voters to support or oppose any particular candidate or cause. The listed penalty for violating this law is six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. Many have criticized the law as too general, vague or unenforceable. But the federal agency Elections Canada has taken the step of publicly clarifying that the law only applies to those who would attempt to induce Canadian citizens into voting a certain way in exchange for a tangible benefit - a bribe, in other words. This nonetheless keeps the need for the law in question given that such bribery was already illegal for citizens and non-citizens alike.

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