NDP pushes for accord with U.S. to prevent travel bans over pot use

The NDP wants the federal government to negotiate an arrangement with the United States that would ensure Canadians won’t be turned back at the border if they admit to having used cannabis once the drug becomes legal in July 2018.

“Frankly, I’m baffled that the Liberals have not had the foresight to anticipate this problem and begin dealing with this now,” said NDP health critic Don Davies during a press conference Thursday.

Though some states have legalized cannabis, the drug remains illegal under federal law in the U.S. If Canadians admit to having consumed marijuana to a border guard, they risk being banned for life and having to apply for special waivers to travel south of the border. If they lie and are caught, they also face a lifetime ban.

An official in Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale’s office told the Post that what happens now at the border isn’t analogous to what may happen once marijuana is legalized, because Canadians who admit to having consumed the drug will no longer be admitting to a crime. But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything will change, as U.S. border guards have complete discretion over who gets to enter the country.

The official said there is an ongoing conversation with the U.S. government about Canada’s plan to legalize cannabis.

Earlier this week, Liberal MP Bill Blair told reporters the government is well aware of concerns about crossing the border once marijuana is legalized, but wouldn’t confirm whether any agreement will be in place by the Liberals’ July 1, 2018 deadline for legalizing pot.

It’s unclear how many Canadians have been banned from the U.S. for marijuana use.

Davies insisted that if the government doesn’t take action now, “you’re going to see hundreds of thousands of Canadians denied entry to the United States because they admitted to using cannabis.”