Most people don't handle salmon very often, much less suspiciously. And yet, in 1986, the British parliament passed the Salmon Act to prevent people from doing so. Why did the British government decide this law was worth passing? Well, the answer actually makes sense. In the 1980s, there was a large amount of illegal fishing in Britain, and massive fish sales on the black market. To combat this, Britain passed this law, deeming anyone who received or disposed of salmon in a manner that it could reasonably be determined that it was fished illegally was committing a crime. I hate to imagine the suspicious ways people handled their salmon... 

Washing your car with a power washer and some soap seems like an innocent enough way to spend your Sunday morning...unless you live in Switzerland. There, you are prohibited from doing so. This is because Switzerland is super strict on noise laws on Sundays, as this day is meant to be a day of quiet and rest in the neighbourhood. In addition to not being able to wash your car in your driveway, you also can't drop off your recycling, cut your grass, or hang your dirty laundry. So if you live in Switzerland, don't leave your errands for Sunday, unless you'd like a fine or jail time.

You're definitely wondering right now why any competent, self-respecting government would waste the time to pass this. On what occasion would you ever put a donkey in a bathtub, and then let it sleep there? Well, in 1924, a farmer from Arizona did let his donkey sleep in a bathtub, outside on his property. During the night, there was a flash flood caused from a burst dam, sending the unconscious donkey along the stream. After waking up with no sight of the donkey in the tub, the farmer called for a search and rescue of the donkey, which was successful. Due to the expenses and risks of the rescue, a law was passed throughout Arizona banning donkeys from napping in a bathtub.

The French strike again! A little known law in 1903 states that all men in France must wear tight fitting swimsuits, such as Speedos, when they go for a swim. The reason for this? Hygiene, somehow. The argument is that Speedos can only be used for swimming, while swim trunks can be worn throughout the day and can bring in sand, dust, and other particles into the water. I don't know why you would wear trunks anywhere outside the pool or beach, but maybe the French do things differently.  The law is applied very strictly. For example, in 2022, the city of Grenoble tried to loosen their restrictions on swimwear by allowing bathers to wear whatever they like, but then lost funding from the regional authorities. Thus, men in France must wear tiny swimwear or be banned from swimming.

Why is this law so oddly specific? Why am I allowed to own 50 kilograms of potatoes in Western Australia, but 51 kgs is a crime? Well, this was primarily to regulate the commercial sale of potatoes by the Potato Marketing Corporation of Western Australia. A law was passed in 1946, the Marketing of Potatoes Act to prevent more than 50 kgs of being bought, sold or delivered in Western Australia. The law was taken incredibly seriously, with so-called "Potato Inspectors" given the right to inspect any vehicle with the suspicion of more than 50 kgs of potatoes inside it. $2000 ($1338 USD) fines were given for a first offence, and $5000 ($3346 USD) fines for subsequent offences. The law existed from 1946 until as recently as 2021, when the Western Australian government decided it was not worth the effort to arrest people for spud possession.

Milan basically just outlawed sadness. There's an old law in Milan stating that you have to smile at all times, except at funerals and in hospitals. Other than that, you have to show your pearly whites to the world. I'm not sure when or why this law was created, but it likely was to maintain positivity in the city. The law is not enforced, for obvious reasons, but it would be hilarious if they took a page out of Western Australia's book and create "Smile Inspectors".

This is not a joke. In a handful of places, you are actually legally not allowed to die. These places are Sarpourenx and Le Lavandou in France, and Lanjaron, Spain. Although passing a law against kicking the can seems completely bizarre, the rationale behind the decisions somewhat makes sense. All three of these places are small towns and villages with small cemetaries to match. These cemetaries have been full for quite a while, and plans for expansions or new cemetaries were scrapped due to environmental reasons. Hence, in the situation in which someone living in one of these towns dies, there would be nowhere decent enough to bury them. So it was deemed that banning death was the solution, so people wouldn't die at all, and therefore not need a grave! The Grim Reaper hates this one trick...

This blog hardly scratches the surface of weird laws in the world. There are hundreds more that I could talk about. For your own interest, here are a few more:

I hope you found this blog educational and entertaining. And if you ever become a world leader, please pass more outrageous laws, because these are absolutely hilarious.