U.S. reverses decision on banning Canadian cannabis employees

Less than a month ago, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that working in Canada’s legal cannabis industry “may affect admissibility” while crossing the American border.

That statement sparked weeks of worries that those tied to the cannabis industry, even in support roles such as accounting, could face lifetime bans from the U.S.

However, in an under the radar move, the original statement was updated on Tuesday to say “a Canadian citizen working in or facilitating the proliferation of the legal marijuana industry in Canada, coming to the U.S. for reasons unrelated to the marijuana industry will generally be admissible to the U.S.”

It’s a major reversal of the policy announced in late September, however, Canadians can still be banned at the border for admitting to past drug use, or for trying to enter the U.S. for reasons related to the American marijuana industry.

Len Saunders, a Canadian who practices immigration law in Washington state, said he was totally, but pleasantly, “shocked” by the U.S. 180-turn on those who work in the cannabis industry.

“This helps hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have any sort of direct or indirect involvement in the Canadian cannabis industry,” he said.

“Everyone is calling me, whether it’s CEOs or regular workers or those with remote connections to the cannabis industry.”

Saunders suggests cannabis employees print out this new statement and take it with them to the border to ensure whomever they deal with there can see what the policy says.

Although legal in a growing number of states, medical and recreational cannabis are both still illegal under U.S. federal law.

With files from the Canadian Press.