Indopedia All Things Marijuana
If you are a foreign citizen trying to cross the border into the United States, one of the questions you are likely to be asked is whether or not you have ever smoked pot. But not everyone is aware that answering yes to this question can get you permanently barred from entering the country. If Canada follows through on its promise to legalize marijuana next year, there will then be millions of people who are legally free to smoke weed, but could all be potentially banned from entering the U.S.
“I’m expecting my business to boom,” said immigration attorney Len Saunders. The attorney advises Canadian stoners not to lie to American border authorities, but to refuse to answer questions about their pot use. “If you’ve smoked in the past, it’s nobody’s business,” he said. “If you don’t answer the question, the worst thing they can do is deny you entry. If you answer that question and say ‘yes,’ you are inadmissible for life. It’s a lifetime ban.”
Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said that it was “ludicrous” how many Canadians were getting banned from the U.S. over marijuana. “What we will expect of our American counterparts, just as…
