Legal pot in Canada poses issues for Americans

Canada on Wednesday became only the second country to legalize recreational marijuana. Canadian law now allows people 18 and older to buy pot, although some provinces have upped the minimum age to 19 to match the drinking age. Quebec’s new government has vowed to raise it further, to 21.

The end of marijuana prohibition raises questions for Americans interested in partaking in the celebrations. So, before anyone hitches a ride to the border, here are things to know: You must follow local laws. The new federal law sets a 30-gram — roughly 1 ounce — limit on how much marijuana people can buy or possess in public, but provincial or city governments might have other rules on where it can be consumed. No stores will open in Ontario, which includes Toronto. The nation’s most populous province is working on its regulations and doesn’t expect stores to operate until spring.

(Canada also said Wednesday that it intends to pardon everyone with convictions for possessing up to 30 grams.)

At present, the legal sale of pot is limited to fresh buds, oil, plants and seeds. Other products that are popular in some U.S. states — edibles, for instance — are not available for legal purchase yet across the border, although you can cook and consume them in someone’s home, according to Canada’s Global News.

Driving under the influence of drugs is still illegal.

In addition, you cannot bring marijuana legally bought in Canada back into the United States. Although several border states have legalized marijuana (or allow the use of medical marijuana), the border between Canada and the United States is a zone solely of federal law, which criminalizes the drug.

Americans who buy legal marijuana and try to bring it back across the border risk arrest on possession or drug-smuggling charges.

“I think we’re going to have a rough year-and-ahalf learning curve as far as the cross-border issues,” said Rino Bortolin, a city councilor in the border city of Windsor, Ontario.