Canada Border Agency Reminds Travelers that Bringing Cannabis Across an International Border Is Illegal

This was announced by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). press release As a reminder to people traveling on June 26th, Canada Day (July 1st) and US Independence Day (July 4th), no cannabis is allowed across the border.

CBSA advises those planning to cross the U.S.-Canada border to plan ahead for border wait times, save time by pre-declaring, and have travel documents on hand. recommends tips. Cannabis topics were also shared on this list.

Section entitled “Cannabis: Do Not Bring It In. Do Not Take It Out.” It refers to restrictions on cannabis brought across borders. “Bringing cannabis containing oils containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD) across the border without a permit or exemption from Health Canada, even though cannabis is legal in Canada. is a serious criminal offense subject to arrest and prosecution.” A doctor’s prescription does not count as an authorization from Health Canada. “

In other words, no recreational or medical use of cannabis is permitted in any quantity.This is not a new policy like in Canada banned the transport of cannabis across borders Many years.

“If you are entering Canada from another country, remember that you must declare any possession of cannabis in any form to the Canadian Border Services Agency. Declare cannabis possession at the Canadian border. Failure to do so may result in arrest and prosecution,” the CBSA said on its website. “If you leave Canada, remember that you also cannot take cannabis out of the country. If you attempt to travel to another country with any amount of cannabis in your possession, you may be subject to criminal prosecution. ”

Strictly speaking, Health Canada has the authority to grant exemptions for imports and exports of cannabis, but such circumstances are for limited purposes such as:medical, scientific, or industrial hemp“

The rules are clear, but many people are still stuck at the border for cannabis. His one of the most recent examples of this was when musician Afroman was stopped at the border last week.according to TMZAfroman had gotten rid of all the surplus cannabis products at the hotel he was staying at, but forgot to dispose of bottles of cannabis lotion and infused gummies. As a result, he was detained for five hours, fined $500 for lotions, and his DJ fined $500 for gummies.

Also earlier this month, an American driver with nearly 400 pounds of cannabis and $602,985 in cash in his car said his GPS mistakenly directed him through the Rainbow Bridge border crossing in Niagara Falls, Canada. claimed. “The safety and well-being of Canadians is the government’s top priority,” said Marco Mendicino, a Canadian Member of Parliament and Minister of Public Safety. “This seizure shows that the CBSA and RCMP are playing an important role in stopping the entry of illegal contraband into our communities. Great job by both agencies.” Coincidentally, Ohio. 400 pounds of cannabis was also captured and seized at the provincial-Canadian border and was seized by US Customs and Border Protection in September 2022.

even if i come back March 2023Rihanna’s tour buses (10 in total) stopped on their way from Canada to Detroit, Michigan. U.S. Border Patrol agents detected a strong odor of cannabis and found a small amount of cannabis in a person’s possession, who was handed a “civil penalty.”

of September 2017, Musician Todd Rundgren was arrested while traveling from Canada to Fargo, North Dakota. A sniffer dog couldn’t pick up the scent of cannabis, but border agents found various joints, a glass container containing THC, and two e-cigarettes.

Just months later, in November 2017, musician Melissa Etheridge also pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis while crossing the border from Canada into North Dakota. She was fined $750 and sentenced to one month of “unsupervised probation.”