With recreational marijuana use legal in Canada, happy pilgrims are trekking in and returning home with 30 grams, slightly over an ounce. Sounds fun and easy, but wait!
The fine print tells another story. Like the pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock, getting there is not the entire trip. For starters, you need to be at least 19 to buy, possess and consume cannabis in Canada, including British Columbia. The minimum legal age is 18. However, if you travel to Canada with a group, and anyone is under 18, no one can buy the stuff, possess it, etc. Buying it legally remains a challenge. Stay out of Ontario until April 1, 2019, because the province's private business model has not been finalized. Only a dozen cannabis stores are opened in Quebec, three in Montreal, Quebec's largest city. An option would be to purchase marijuana online from legal retailers, but you need a Canadian address to effect delivery with a signature from someone of legal age, and paid with a Canadian credit card. As for cost – provinces and territories are sanctioned to regulate and establish cannabis pricing. Alberta Cannabis prices range from 9.24 to 14.95 Canadian dollars a gram ($7 to $11, with pre-rolled joints from 6.64 Canadian dollars each. In New Brunswick, the legal online store, Cannabis NB, the legal online store, posts prices from 7.99 dollars to 17.40 dollars per gram for loose buds. Their best seller is “liiv Kinky kush," an earthy, pine wood scent with a pinch of pepper type costs 14.10 a gram. “Lemon Skunk,” is popular at the moment that smells as its name applies goes for 15.50 dollars a gram. As for the black market, the prices are competitive, greater variety and quality, and easy to buy. Brands like “Up and Tight,” Hello Dolly,” “Blow My Smoke,” and the top seller, “Easy Rider” are excellent choices -- and selling in the 9.50 dollar per gram price range. Getting the stuff back to the states is another issue: Nine states and the District of Columbia allow recreational use. States bordering Canada, Maine, Vermont, and Washington are "hot smuggling grounds" because they are legal zones to possess and challenging to determine where the marijuana came from. Bringing weed back and forth along the border is a fool's game and not worth the aggravation. United States laws prohibit the transportation of cannabis because the sale, possession, production, and distribution of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. The U.S. zero tolerance policy exacts fines and penalties ranging from $500 to $5,000. Likewise, it is unlawful to bring cannabis into Canada. Bottom line: Don’t go to Canada to buy weed. Note: “HAVE POT CASH WILL TRAVEL - Not a good idea!” article is presented as an adjunct to our continuing research in evaluating the evolving issues, and circumstances legalizing cannabis may manifest and its solutions in Canada. It is our opinion that the Canadian blueprint would establish a long-term trend for the maintenance and management of a legal cannabis national policy, whether in the United States or elsewhere.