In less than one month, cannabis is going to be completely legal in Canada. Whilst this may sound like music to your ears if you enjoy a smoke and live in Canada, it is an entirely different story for cannabis users that want to cross the border and visit the United States.
U.S. immigration officers are now entitled to view all purchases made with a Canadian credit card, which doesn’t bode well for those buying legal cannabis online. With this evidence, they have the ability to deny you entry to the States for life.
The Cannabis legislation will pass on October 17th, after which point the majority of provinces will make online shopping the only way to purchase cannabis. This means that making a purchase using anything other than a credit is going to be virtually impossible and whilst some provinces have committed to discretion with regards to what will show up on your statement, others will make it blatantly obvious.
What Does This Mean For Canadians Visiting The US?
Regardless of your nationality, if a border control officer stops you and you confess that you use cannabis (even if its legal where you reside) you could be looking at a lifetime ban from entering America. Being a Canadian makes it harder to conceal that you have used cannabis in the past, as Canadian card statements can now be viewed by any border patrol officer.
It Doesn’t Stop There…
What makes this situation even worse for many people, is that as soon as the official has obtained proof that you have bought cannabis (even legally) you will then be put in a position where they force you to confess. This means you are not only looking at a lifetime ban, but you could also get into trouble if they suspect you have been lying to them.
To Summarize:
If your purchase history can now be viewed by U.S. officials, it begs the question of what else could they come up with to hold against you in the future? Times are definitely changing with regards to privacy law, which is becoming a huge concern for many travelers and with good reason!
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