A Queensland man has been charged with possessing marijuana after he was allegedly caught with a joint near a Bali beach.
The 24-year-old man, from the Townsville suburb of Kirwan, was charged by Indonesian police on Wednesday after security reported him smoking marijuana with a Javanese man by the Batu Bolong beach at 3am on Tuesday.
He will face charges in court of possession of marijuana, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years, or possession of marijuana for personal use, which carries a maximum sentence of four years.
The man, who is detained at North Kuta police station, has not entered a plea.
The results of his blood and urine tests are still unknown.
North Kuta police chief Ronny Riantoko said on Tuesday the evidence found was a used marijuana joint, which had allegedly been smoked by both men, and a small packet of marijuana, nearby.
He said police believed the Indonesian man had thrown the packet away after they were caught.
In 2011, a 14-year-old boy from Morisset Park in NSW was jailed for two months after he bought 3.6 grams of cannabis in Kuta.
The saga caused a furore with then Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd calling for "calm heads and cool hearts".
Judge Amser Simanjuntak said the boy was young, had never been charged before and had shown remorse.
But he said he had to consider the negative impact the boy's arrest had on relations between Australia and Indonesia.
"Our aim in criminalising this (case) is not for revenge, but it should serve as a deterrent for others not to follow his actions," News Limited reported Judge Amser saying at the time.
"But his action gave a negative image to Bali as a tourist destination."
