Those of us who are not lawyers don't always know what is legal and what is not, so we often use common sense to make assumptions, right? Right. But such a process apparently wouldn't help us much if we lived in the US, because common sense and the law have been at odds there for years. And depending on which state you live in, the greater or lesser the rift between them.
To understand exactly what we mean, and in the case, of course, that you thought that the extended gun ownership is the only paradox in the land of the free and the brave, look at the laws they follow:
Burying someone in your backyard
It's not some kind of joke. In most states it is perfectly legal to bury loved ones in the backyard of your home.
All it has to do is to pay attention to the requirements of planning and zoning law. For example, there are laws that determine how close to an irrigation pipe a burial can take place. If you are in compliance with these, you secure a permit and no one stops you.
Driving naked
It sounds crazy, but if you want to get behind the wheel of your car naked, you have every right to do so and wander the city streets. It's perfectly legal. There's just one small detail: getting in and out of the car must be done with clothes on, or it could get you in legal trouble. For example, if someone sees you naked outside your car door, and complains to the police, you could be prosecuted for indecent exposure.
The beating at school
Any use of physical force used as a means of discipline (slapping, hitting with a ruler, etc.) is legally known as «corporal punishment». So there are areas in the US where physical violence by a teacher on a student is illegal, for example in New Jersey, a practice that has been strictly prohibited since 1867.
And although banning wood in school is the norm, there are quite a few states where it is allowed. More specifically, these are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.
Food with arsenic
The male is among the ten chemicals of «major public health concern», according to the official ranking by the World Health Organisation.
«Long-term exposure to high levels of arsenic is associated with high rates of skin, bladder and lung cancer, as well as heart disease,» the Agency says.
The WHO has published studies on the presence of arsenic in rice, apples and all organic fruits marketed in the US. There is the detailed list of products, there are the detailed reports on what arsenic does to people's health, but unlike the countries of the European Union, the US has not yet banned it from its food.
To marry your cousin
Although the social stigma of such a marriage is -also- in America very negative, however anyone can legally and freely marry their cousin in all states of the USA without exception.
The only question is which cousin of all of them will be the one. For example, at least 25 states allow you to marry your first cousin, the child of your aunt or uncle.
However, in some states, marriage between first cousins is allowed only under certain circumstances, such as in Arizona, where the couple must be over 65 years old, or in West Virginia, where only adopted first cousins are allowed to marry.
Drinking alcohol even if you are underage
You have to be at least 21 years old to consume alcohol in all 50 states, but there are loopholes in all but five states (Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire and West Virginia). If you take advantage of these loopholes, you can drink beer and whiskey, no matter how old you are.
For example, there are 29 states where minors can legally drink in private with their parents' presence and consent, and there are 6 states where minors can drink in private without the presence and consent of their parents.
At the same time, in another 25 states it is legal for minors to consume alcohol for religious reasons, in 16 states it is legal to drink for medical reasons and in another 11 states it is legal to drink for educational purposes - if they are attending culinary school, for example, and have to make a recipe that contains alcohol.
Having a pet monkey
Yeah, I know, you'll say «big deal, I already knew that, I remember Ross in Friends». But his case was completely fictional, it was a huge lie because quite simply in New York, the city in which this fictional character lived, that's illegal.
However, it is legal in the remaining 38 states.
