The cloud of uncertainty in the minds of Canadians working in the legal marijuana industry may have lifted a little after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Administration (CBP) put up an update on its website stating that cannabis industry workers may be “generally” admissible into the U.S. in case their travel isn’t connected to their work.
This clarification comes several weeks after CBP issued a press release in which it suggested that anyone involved in the cannabis industry would not be allowed to cross into the U.S. That statement left marijuana industry workers contemplating an end to simple things like fulfilling the dreams of their kids by visiting Disneyland or even escaping the harsh Canadian winter by seeking out warmer locations across the border to the south.
The new statement clarified that any person involved in the Canadian cannabis industry may be denied entry in case such a person is coming to the U.S. on matters that are related to their work in the cannabis industry. Legalization in Canada doesn’t alter the prohibition of marijuana by U.S. federal law, the statement added.
However, the CBP statement is silent on what the fate of people who admit that they consume cannabis will be at entry points.
What the statement mentions directly is that those who have been convicted for violating U.S. or other countries’ drugs laws will not be allowed into the U.S.
Legal experts agree that the recent statement by CBP provides a more reasonable approach to handling the matter of Canadian cannabis industry workers who wish to travel to the U.S. However, those experts also point out that several grey areas still exist.
For instance, it wasn’t clear how the border authorities will determine which activities are connected to the industry and those that aren’t. Is traveling to attend a marijuana conference in the U.S. outlawed?
Lawyers who specialize in cross-border matters also think that Customs and Border Protection worded their statement cleverly in order to give their agents wiggle room when determining whether to allow someone into the country or not.
It is expected that the position of the U.S. border authorities will keep evolving in the coming weeks and months as the kinks in their current policy get ironed out. In the meantime, Canadians are advised to be mindful about the existing U.S. laws in order to avoid being found in breach of those laws while traveling to or while in the U.S.
ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX) and Choom Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CHOO) (OTCQB: CHOOF) must be equally concerned about the grey areas or contradictions in the cannabis laws at different jurisdictional levels.
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