A Canadian woman who was barred from the US for life after crossing the border with CBD oil has had the ban overturned.
Two weeks ago the unnamed 27-year-old tried to enter the US at Point Roberts, Washington, with the CBD in her backpack, thinking it wasn’t an issue as the products are legal in both British Columbia and Washington state.
But the Canada Border Services Agency states that “transporting cannabis across the border in any form — including any oils containing THC or cannabidiol (CBD) — without a permit or exemption authorised by Health Canada remains a serious criminal offence.
“My reaction obviously was shock”
Lawyer Len Saunders
She was also fined $500, fingerprinted and told she must pay $585 to apply for a special waiver if she ever wanted to visit the US.
Now her lawyer Len Saunders says she was contacted by an official and told that she would not have to apply for the waiver.
He told CBC: “My reaction obviously was shock. I was shocked that it was such a 180-degree turn from basically being barred for life to being told that they had on their own reviewed the case and had basically reversed their decision.”
The port of entry did not give a reason for the reversal and US Customs and Border Protection have not responded to a request for comment at time of writing.
There is a lot of confusion surrounding CBD in the US. Most cannabidiol products were made legal by December’s ‘Farm Bill’.
But there is an ongoing dispute over state laws that contradict the legislation.
