Canada’s Border Agency is reminding travelers that bringing cannabis across an international border is illegal

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued a press release on June 26 as a reminder to travelers on Canada Day (July 1) or U.S. Independence Day (July 4): No Cannabis Crossing the Border.

For those planning to cross the US-Canada border, CBSA recommends tips such as: B. planning waiting times at the border in advance, saving time with a pre-declaration and having travel documents at hand. The topic of cannabis was also shared in this list.

The section titled “Cannabis: Don’t Bring It In. Don’t take it out.” refers to the restrictions on importing cannabis across the border. “The importation of cannabis across the border in any form, including oils containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD), without a Health Canada-approved permit or exemption is a serious criminal offense despite the legalization of cannabis in Canada can be arrested and prosecuted.” . A medical prescription from a physician does not constitute approval from Health Canada.”

In other words, no amount of recreational or medicinal cannabis is allowed. This is not a new policy as Canada has banned the transport of cannabis across the country’s border for years.

“If you are entering Canada from another country, remember: if you are carrying any form of cannabis, you must report it to the Canada Border Services Agency. Failure to declare your possession of cannabis at the Canadian border could also result in arrest and prosecution,” the CBSA explains on its website. “When you leave Canada, remember: you are not allowed to take cannabis out of the country either. If you attempt to travel to other countries with any amount of cannabis in your possession, you may be prosecuted.”

Technically, Health Canada has the power to grant exemptions for the import or export of cannabis, but such circumstances only apply for limited purposes, including “medical, scientific, or industrial hemp.”

Although the rules are clear, many people are still stopped at the border because of cannabis. One of the most recent examples of this was last week when musician Afroman was stopped at the border. According to TMZ, Afroman had given away all of his excess cannabis product at the hotel he was staying at, but forgot to throw away a bottle of cannabis lotion and fortified gummy bears. As a result, he was detained for five hours and fined $500 for the lotion and his DJ was fined $500 for the gummy bears.

Also earlier this month, an American driver who had nearly 400 pounds of cannabis and $602,985 in cash in his car claimed that his GPS accidentally directed him through the Rainbow Bridge border crossing in Niagara Falls, Canada. “The safety of Canadians is our government’s top priority,” said Canadian MP and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino. “This seizure demonstrates the critical role the CBSA and RCMP play in preventing illegal contraband from entering our communities. Excellent job by both agencies.” Coincidentally, 400 pounds of cannabis was also caught and seized at the Ohio-Canada border, which was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in September 2022.

Back in March 2023, Rihanna’s tour buses (10 vehicles total) were stopped en route from Canada to Detroit, Michigan. US Border Patrol agents detected a strong smell of cannabis and found a small amount of cannabis in possession of an individual who had a “civil penalty”.

In September 2017, musician Todd Rundgren was arrested while traveling from Canada to Fargo, North Dakota. Although drug-sniffing dogs failed to detect the smell of cannabis, border guards found various joints, glass jars of THC and two e-cigarettes.

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