QUEBEC, December 14 2018 /CNW Telbec/ – A joint under the palm trees this winter? The idea may be appealing to some, but it’s a bad idea. In fact, crossing borders with pot is a great way to get yourself into trouble. On the other hand, let’s not exaggerate anything. Canadians still have the right to travel, even if pot is legal. CAA-Quebec takes stock.
First of all, it is illegal to leave or enter Canada with cannabiswe read on the Global Affairs Canada website. Whether it’s legal or not in the other country, whether to relieve arthritis, to party, by road, by air, in the form of a muffin, a drink, rolled up, in a flower, in a small pot or a big bag, it’s no! The person who is caught faces criminal sanctions in Canada.
The United States is not laughing with cannabis
Bring a joint of “Blue Dream” from the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) on a ski trip to Denver? Forget the project. It’s legal to consume pot in 10 US states including Maine and the Coloradobut it remains illegal to cross the border between Canada and the United States with cannabis, under the federal laws of both countries. We are exposed not only to a refusal of entry, but also to a fine, an arrest, a criminal record and many other consequences which are no laughing matter.
In a public statement from US Customs and Border Protection, the US customs agency clarifies that, in general, drug dependent users or those who have committed drug offenses, whether in the United States or elsewhere, are not admissible to the United States1. Therefore, if you admit to having used cannabis before its legalization, the customs officer could refuse you entry into the United States.
Will the customs officer ask you questions about cannabis? This is generally not the case, he told Radio-Canada an official of the American customs agency.
Don’t dramatize!
“Our travel advisors are informed and will give the truth to those who fear complications at the border following legalization. You must at all costs avoid crossing customs with cannabis. That said, it is clear that other countries will not close their doors to Canadians because pot is legal! ” raised Philippe Blainvice-president of travel services at CAA-Quebec.
In short, a person who consumes cannabis legally in Canada, who has never been convicted of a drug-related offense and who does not have any in their possession at customs has nothing to reproach themselves for. The U.S. Customs Agency adds that working for Canada’s legal cannabis industry is not grounds to deny entry to a Canadian traveler to the United States, as long as their trip does not involve work.
Cannabis elsewhere in the world
Canada and theUruguay are the only two countries where cannabis is legal, but it remains illegal to cross borders with the drug, even for medical use. Travelers are exposed to sanctions, often criminal, abroad or in Canada.
Traveling to Canada with cannabis : yes, but…
- It is not illegal to take a domestic flight in Canada with cannabis. On the other hand, in rare cases of emergency landings in the United States, having cannabis in one’s possession could complicate matters, warns Air Canada.
- The legal age to purchase, possess and consume cannabis is 19 elsewhere in Canada, except in Albertawhere the age is set at 18, as in Quebec.
- The places where consumption is permitted vary from one province to another, from one city to another, and sometimes even from one district to another. Find out before lighting!
Travel insurance: covered or not after drinking pot?
Most insurers have not changed their rules after legalization and will refuse to cover a condition or injury caused by drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, if a traveler finds himself in difficulty due to the use or possession of cannabis, his insurer could refuse to compensate him.
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1 Citation originale : « Generally, any arriving alien who is determined to be a drug abuser or addict, or who is convicted of, admits having committed, or admits committing, acts which constitute the essential elements of a violation of (or an attempt or conspiracy to violate) any law or regulation of a State, the United Statesor a foreign country relating to a controlled substance, is inadmissible to the United States. »
SOURCE CAA-Québec
Montreal, Annie Gauthier, 514 861-7111, ext. 6260, Cell. : 514 717-4040, (email protected); Quebec, Pierre-Olivier Fortin, 418 624-2424, ext. 6430, Cell. : 418 563-4590, (email protected)
