People have been told again and again that even though Cannabis is now legal in Canada its Still illegal in the United States,  and while many people expected the amount of cannabis being brought to the US border to increase one thing that caught people off guard is the amount of Canadians trying to bring cannabis into Canada from the States. Luke Reimer Communications officer with the CBSA explains what they're seeing and what can happen if a Canadian does attempt to bring cannabis over the international boundary.

"The CBSA has seen an overall rise in cannabis interdiction at the Canadian border since legalization, though its too early to identify any definitive trends or exact causes for this increase. The rise in interdiction may be the result of increased positive declarations of cannabis by travelers following the implementation of a new cannabis-related question at primary inspection. the Canadian border has not seen any increased tensions or delays as a result of legalization."

When it comes to crossing any international boundary with cannabis, it should not be done. something the CBSA is keen to remind travelers. Reimer.

"We would remind travelers the rules at the border have not changed and its essential that travelers know that despite the fact that cannabis is legal and regulated in Canada it remains illegal to import or export into Canada any cannabis products without a valid permit issued from health Canada so our message to travelers is simple don't bring it in and don't take it out."

The CBSA does offer the chance for travelers to declare any cannabis in their possession once they reach the border its a question that's similar to other restricted item questions and it helps mitigate the risk for unintentional violations, in the case that cannabis is declared CBSA officers will use their discretion in processing travelers.

"When a traveler does declare they have cannabis at the first opportunity given they minimize the risk of CBSA offices taking enforcement action, CBSA officers are trained to take into account all the factors when making a decision, but just to remind people again that not declaring cannabis at the Canadian border is a criminal offence, if you decide to not declare cannabis at the border you may face enforcement action including arrest and prosecution."