US Waiver for Canadians

Following on rule number one, rule number two is something about not trying to enter the US with marijuana. Rule number three is obviously about not attempting to enter the US with live shotgun shells in your vehicle. Unless of course this gentleman from Nanaimo was actually attempting to get barred permanently from the US. This all went down a few weeks ago at the Sumas border crossing in BC. Read the rest of the story here:  Nanaimo man charged with bribing U.S. official at border

Expect to have your pot record expunged once marijuana is legalized? Think again. Why? Well, when someone is charged with a crime, the laws in place at the time of the offence dictate how that individual will be punished if convicted. An exception is outlined in Section 11(i) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms : “Any person charged with an offence has the right . . . if found guilty of the offence and if the punishment for the offence has been varied between the time of commission and the time of sentencing to the benefit of the lesser punishment.” The Charter says nothing about granting amnesty to a convicted individual whose offence later ceases to be a crime. That’s why, if marijuana is legalized in Canada, the legislation will probably not come with an amendment that allows all those previously convicted of possession of marijuana to be pardoned and have their criminal records expunged. Tens of thousands of Canadians are charged with possession each year. Pardons woul...

A man says he was turned away from the U.S. because a police officer caught him smoking marijuana when he was 17, more than two decades ago.  After years of travelling south without issue,  he was  pulled aside by Homeland Security and told he was convicted of narcotics possession. 24 years earlier, he was caught smoking a joint of marijuana in an Oakville, Ont. park. He and a group of friends were given a fine, but didn't go to jail or face any other punishments. U.S. officials have been requesting more criminal information from Canadian authorities in the last few years, leading to more people being denied entry. Familiar story? Read more: Man turned away from U.S. for 24-year-old drug charge

A B.C. woman named Jess Goldstein was denied entry into the US and barred for life, for admitting to US customs officials she had smoked marijuana in the past. Her car was searched, she was questioned for six hours and told she could never enter the US again. She owns a cabin in Washington state and her father is American so she used to cross quite often. Now she can cross the border only because she was granted an official waiver, which cost her $600 + in fees, and has to be renewed again each year. Meanwhile, Rob Ford, the fool mayor of Toronto, an admitted smoker of crack cocaine, has crossed the border into the US to appear on American TV. How come the US customs officials let him cross the border? Where is the punishment for Rob Ford? How come he does not have to pay $600 + a year to visit? The hypocrisy of US CBP.

A B.C. woman who was denied entry into the U.S., and barred for life, for admitting she’d smoked marijuana can now cross the border again thanks to an I-194 waiver. Jess Goldstein was asked at one point by the US border guard if she had ever smoked marijuana and admitted to smoking pot the week before. Despite having no criminal record, Goldstein was questioned for six hours and her car was searched, before she was told she could never enter the U.S. again. Now Goldstein can cross the border but only because she was granted an official waiver, which cost her $585, $75 for finger prints and has to be renewed again next year. There were likely addition fees not mentioned in the article, as Goldstein went through a lawyer. See the rest of the article:  B.C. woman who told U.S. border guards she smoked pot must pay $600 to cross again