Legal weed in Canada: What it means for Vermont and the border – By April McCullum, Elizabeth Murray and Dan D’Ambrosio (burlingtonfreepress.com) / Oct 16 2018
Canada is launching its legal marijuana market this week, becoming the second nation in the world to allow adult-use cannabis.
Three border states — Oregon, Vermont and Maine — have already legalized marijuana. What separates these states from the new cannabis market to the north is an international divide that marijuana cannot legally cross.
Here’s what you need to know about traveling between United States and Canada in the age of legal cannabis.
Can you buy weed in Canada and take it across the Vermont border?
No.
“Marijuana is a controlled substance under U.S. federal law and remains illegal,” said Stephanie Malin, spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection Northern and Coastal Branch. “Crossing the border or arriving at a U.S. port of entry in violation of this law may result in denied admission, seizure, fines, and arrest.”
This Aug. 2, 2017 photo shows the U.S. border crossing post at the Canadian border between Vermont and Quebec, Canada, at Beecher Falls, Vt. (Photo: WILSON RING/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
How does legalization in Canada compare to Vermont’s law?
The biggest difference between Canada and Vermont cannabis laws is that Canada will allow retail sales of cannabis starting Oct. 17, including storefront and online sales. There’s no legal way to buy cannabis in Vermont, though Vermonters may grow their own plants at home.
In this April 20, 2018 file photo, people reach for joints being thrown into the crowd during the 4-20 annual marijuana celebration, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Canada is following the lead of Uruguay in allowing a nationwide, legal marijuana market, although each Canadian province is working up its own rules for pot sales. The federal government and the provinces also still need to publish regulations that will govern the cannabis trade. (Photo: DARRYL DYCK/THE CANADIAN PRESS via AP)
Canada set up a national framework of cannabis regulation, then left the details to each province and territory. Provincial and territorial governments regulate how and where cannabis can be sold, and they can also add their own restrictions on minimum age, possession amounts, public consumption and home cultivation, according to the Department of Justice Canada. For this reason, it’s important for travelers to check the laws in the province they plan to visit.
Here are other differences between recreational marijuana restrictions in Canada and Vermont:
How much? Nationally, Canada allows people to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis in a public place. Vermont’s limit is 1 ounce, which is approximately 28 grams.
In this April 13, 2017 photo, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale, left to right, Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould, and Health Minister Jane Philpott announce changes regarding the legalization of marijuana during a news conference in Ottawa, Canada. Canada is following the lead of Uruguay in allowing a nationwide, legal marijuana market, although each Canadian province is working up its own rules for pot sales. The federal government and the provinces also still need to publish regulations that will govern the cannabis trade. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File) (Photo: ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS via AP)
Who? Canada as a whole set the minimum age for cannabis possession at 18 years, but every province except Quebec and Alberta raised the age to 19. Vermont’s minimum age is 21 — and the new government in neighboring Quebec may follow suit, according to the Montreal Gazette.
Where? Visitors to Canada need to research the rules about using cannabis in public. In Quebec, for example, public cannabis use generally follows the same rules as tobacco smoking, according to the Montreal Gazette. But some cities and certain areas of Montreal prohibit cannabis consumption in public parks and streets, and Quebec’s new government may impose restrictions on public consumption that will apply to the entire province.
Vermont’s law limits cannabis consumption to homes and private property; no one can smoke in a public park or street in Vermont.
Will legalization in Canada and Vermont affect border patrol’s enforcement of drug trafficking?
“Transporting marijuana across the border remains illegal under both Canadian law and U.S. federal law,” said Malin, the U.S. border patrol spokeswoman. “We will continue to work with our international, state, and local law enforcement partners to ensure that all laws are enforced.”
Vermont’s marijuana legalization law, which goes into effect July 1, 2018, allows up to six plants to be grown in a home. (Photo: USA Today Network file photo)
You can’t buy recreational weed in Vermont, but it’s for sale north of the border in Quebec
Visitors who want to take advantage of Canada’s legalization of marijuana will have a dozen outlets to choose from in Quebec, including three in Montreal. Again, be forewarned: Don’t try to bring your Canadian pot back to the United States.
“If a tourist buys cannabis and consumes it in Quebec, it’s OK, but they can’t take it back to another country,” said Marilou Blackburn, media relations officer for Societe Quebecoise du Cannabis.
The agency is a monopoly created by the government of Quebec and will have exclusive control over the sale of marijuana in the province. Each province has established its own entity for selling pot and its own rules governing those sales.
Where to buy weed in Quebec
These 12 cannabis stores in Quebec will open on October 17:
Quebec City — 670 rue Bouvier
Quebec City – 2491 chemin Sainte-Foy
Levis – 95 route du President-Kennedy
Trois-Rivieres – 3548 boul. Des Forges
Drummondville – 965 bou. St-Joseph
Montreal (Peel) – 970, Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest
Montreal (L’Acadie) – 9250, Boulevard de l’Acadie
Montreal (Rosemont-Petit-Patrie) – 6872 St-Hubert
Rimouski – 110-1 rue St-Germain oeust
Mirabel – 13421 boulevard Cure-Labelle
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu – 174 boulevard Saint-Luc suite 114
Masouche – 172, Montee Masson
These three stores will open in October, but sometime after October 17:
Montreal (Ville-Marie) – 830, Rue Sainte-Catherin Est
Joliette – 10, Place Bourget Sud
Brossard – 9575, rue Ignace
