EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS!!!!My first encounter with international drug laws...BOGUS!

Hello all @ IC. I am posting this story because I am furious as well as feel violated over the experience I've had in the last 24 hours. I live on the east coast, and I've been planning a trip to Vancouver for a few months now. Let me tell you, I am a chef, a good citizen, never been arrested...etc...So anyways... I left the EC last nite @ 10pm...very excited for my first trip to Van., as well as my first trip out of the country! So I get to Vancouver airport late at nite...1:30 or so a.m. Im tired and just want to get to my hotel. I get through customs no problem, lots of ridiculous questions, but no problems. Im leaving the airport to get a taxi, and there is a customs girl checkin the tickets, so she asks me to step to the left so they can check my bags.....I am the ONLY person pulled off a FULL flight to check baggage??!! So I say no problem...I got nothin to hide...so I thought!!! After numerous personal questions, etc...this woman with the rubber gloves on proceeds to check my bags...WITH a FINE TOOTHED COMB!!!! I had a personal notebook with some things I had written down in a back page that I wanted to see while in Van. Sites, cafes, etc...AHHHH! Cafes!!!!Well, I also had an article about the sites to see in Van. Well, they brought me to immigration, asked me MORE questions about the cafes, my BANK acct???My profession, why I was there(just for a well-deserved vacation, mind u!!), etc... They then told me I could NOT come into Canada, they were goin to handcuff me, and detain me till the next flight back home!!!! Maybe I am overreacting!!!but...I feel so violated, angry, dissillusioned, disenchanted, etc...There was nothing I could do, they treated me like a criminal, and I feel like I never want to travel abroad again. What do u all think??? I just wanted to share my story for those compassionate enough to listen. Thanks all, and keep the fight goin, we gotta change the laws around the world!!! Peace to all and be safe. If any of you want more details, I will fill in the blanks. I really feel like I was treated unjustly. But...I digress...for now! Later.

i got to your local news...

I think its bullshit.

Wow. Even since Harper was elected, Canada is becoming more like the US...

That really sucks. I used to think about going to Canada, too, but lately it seems like too much trouble. I'm just going to save for Amsterdam...

wow dude... on the east coast a flight to amsterdam wouldn't have been much further than Vancouver...

last time i went through customs in holland it was a long, continuously moving line of people shuffling past the customs official with their pasports held up... no scrutiny... no immigration stamp either...

in fact last time i went through the airport in the 'dam there was a german dude trying to bring a pipe with him... here's how his conversation with the security checker went...

security Guy (SG): what is this?
German guy (GG):it's a pipe
SG: a pipe... for what?
GG: for smoking hashish...here (procedes to assemble the pipe for the security guy)... the hashish goes in here (points with his fingers at the bowl)
SG: hold on a minute, i have to ask my boss about this... (comes back a few minutes later)... well my boss says that since it's not illegal here that you can take it, but be careful on the other side...

classic... amsterdam is 10x cooler than Vancouver. a few years ago it was only 4 or 5x cooler... but now it's at least 10.

today is a beautiful day and i'll be hittin' the 'dam myself...

I'm gonna' guess...

I'm gonna' guess...

.... that the list of cafes in the back of your notebook contained the name and address of Blunt Bros. Cafe', no?

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but....

Even under Martin's or Chretien's govs., for a foreigner to come into Canada with "I smoke dope actively and regularly" tattooed to their forehead (pardon my exageration here), you'd have been likely to be turned away.

Canada has been TOLERANT of their OWN pot smokers, which is a FAR CRY from being tolerant of, or inviting in, other countries' pot smokers. Seriously.

Renee Boje', Steve Kubby, and others who have (quite righteously and rightfully) sought asylum there, have been often perceived by Ottawa as thorns in the side of their brothel-like relationship with Washington, D.C.

While 52-54% of Canadian CITIZENS think that reefer is something that oughta' come in a store-bought wrapper, Ottawa's hacks have often thought of it as something over which Washington, D.C. will screw up the Canadian economy even further. Remember that approximately 75% of Canadian free enterprise is either Amerikan owned, operated, or managed. That's a shit-load of someone else's wallet for the fascisti in D.C. (and elsewhere in Amerika) to be holdin' on a 'trust me' basis.

The biggest drag in your case, aside from the wasted air fare, and being treated like a criminal for (potentially) consuming greenery, is that once you've been entered into the system/data base as 'personna non grata,' it's quite probable that it will be difficult to convince the next Canadian Customs official you face off with that this was all a huge misunderstanding.

In other words, in the customs computer systems (and I'm guessing quite strongly that they're pretty much linked internationally now, since 9/11) you've got some notes next to your name.

And THAT might prove to be even more costly down the road than whatever amount you lost on airfare and immediate peace of mind.

Wouldn't it be nice if the (all-inclusive) bozos in the prohibition comedy/tragedy would spend as much time trying to find Osama as they do weeding out red-eyed smiling people with more than their fair share of corn chips and cheeseburgers?

Regards,

moose eater

man that sucks big time......drug war insanity.....i would be so pissed as well.....

now take a deep breath......please do not give in to hate and anger......even though it is difficult i know.....

spread the word of this injustice!!!!

Gotta deny everything and don't have info like "cafes" written down.

Crazy!,
Ive never had a problem goin across the border into Canada once a year for the last 10yrs or so,
but I always have a shitload of fishing equipment and dont have anything relating to cafe's or weed on me, they are always pretty nice actually in my experiences,

Well I can tell you that clamming up and never leaving the US would not be the answer.
take into consideration that Canada has just gone through an international incident over cannabis. I'm sure people coming to Vandam right now are not the most welcomed by customes.

Of course, none of this should have happened to you.

Go to your local media... see what they have to say about it.

Thanks for the kind words all...Im finally over the initial anger and hate, but I still feel like I was profiled for some reason, and THAT pisses me off...maybe they only pulled me off becuse I was the only white person on a flight of all asians???perhaps! But to go through my personal stuff and ask me all kinds of personal questions!!! I dont know. Do u really think I'll have a flag next to my name???? When I asked when I could come back into Canada, you know what they said?.....2 DAYS!!!!!Thats it!!! WTF?????Theyre gonna kick me out today, but let me back in 2 days later?????

I can answer both....

I can answer both....

...anecdotally and generally about your 'flagging' question.

Customs in almost ANY country can refuse entry with minimal or no cause at all. It's a national sovereignty issue.

If they immediately put you back on an airplane, threatening hand-cuffs, etc., do you believe that they filed an official report?

In all likelihood (especially for future reference in responding to inquiries re. their decision-making that night) they filed a report listing your name, circumstances, their reasons, etc.

Once labelled as 'personna non grata,' what reason does the next agent you encounter have to determine, "You know what? My compadre's over at THAT border had this guy ALL wrong. I'm lettin' him in, dammit!"?

In the late 70s, before Canada's 'age of enlightenment' and their 1983 Charter of Rights, an old friend of mine with no known criminal record crossed the border one evening at Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory, coming by road from Alaska.

He came from a respectable Brit family, was dual Israeli and British citizen (as he'd voluntarily served in Israel's 12-day war, and was Jewish). Canada had only recently left the Commonwealth, and so Brits and Europeans (in general), New Zealanders, etc., had more freedom to go back and forth there (still do).

The agent asked him if he'd ever done any opiates. He admitted that back in his ancient history, during the 12-day war in Israel, he had used some opiates.

At that point the interview became very formal, and a major report was filled out on him, and he was told he would be denied entry. He asked about alternative recourse, as coming from, and frequenting, Alaska made travel through Canada almost a necessity, short of owning stock in an airline company.

After much pleading and grovelling, he was allowed a special pass to attend a meeting with a customs supervisor in Whitehorse, Y.T.

At the end of that meeting he was told, in somewhat cocky benevolent tone, that 'there (were) one of two things going to happen to that report... It (could) either stay in a drawer as local hard-copy, or be entered into a national data base. (The supervisor was quite full of himself at this point).

He eventually, after toying with my friend, delivered that report to a hard-copy LOCAL file drawer (with implications still for future reference, but not the same as if he'd taken door #2).

Bear in mind that if you or someone else, as a visiting American citizen, were to be actually BUSTED for pot in Canada, the chances are good that you could be banned for life.

So, you can save some money and try a less-expensive crossing into Canada in a couple of weeks, somewhere near the East Coast where you indicated you came from, making sure that you've cleaned your own car with a fine-tooth comb, and that there's not even the HINT of contraband in it, and see what happens.

But my bet is that with the formality of returning you to the U.S. on the next available flight, there's an accompanying file now.

At the end of the day, the bottom line is 'Never, ever, ever, leave loose ends hanging. There's a chance that nothing will happen with those fluttering ends, and there's a chance that they'll get blown around in a shit storm and inadvertently strangle you. Don't leave your future to the winds of fate, unless fate happens to like you ALOT."

Regards,

moose eater

I have a simliar story with the Canadian Immigration. I got a summer job in Homer, Alaska building some cabins. The guy Im working for has to pick-up his new Coach a few miles from my house. So he agrees to take me and my buddy to Alaska all expenses paid. (Mind you this guy has lived in Alaska for 40 some years and has crossed the border more times than he can count with no problems.) I figured we're in an almost 4 million dollar motor coach we're GOOD TO GO right? Well we pull up to the little shacks and hand over our identification. Everything seems fine they hand em back then say we need to talk to immigration its no big deal just standard procedure. People are pulled off at random and our number came up. We park and go inside. In a few minutes I noticed that we were entirely surrounded by people of middle eastern decent.(which I have no problem with) We get some paper work to fill out(all 3 of us) and we turn it in. A few minutes later they call the old man to the counter and start asking him questions. Then me then my buddy. A few minutes pass and nothing. Then a few more and they call all 3 of us to the counter. They told the old man he couldnt enter the country because he lied to em. They asked him if he had ever been arrested. He said no. He had though for shoplifting 30 some years ago but had his record sealed and was told by the court nobody could use that against him. I was denied for a DUII of all things. Thats so far in the past it should be gone. I complied with the court and did diversion and everything. Its cleared up. They told my buddy he was more than welcome to enter canada and to have a nice stay. LOL with no way to get around or get anywhere.
None the less we ended up going to the Canadian Consulate to be told we needed to fill out some paper work and submit it with a m/o for $900 US. No garauntees. The guy ended up hiring the coach company to drive the coach to Homer for a few thousand and flew home. Me and my buddy had to end up buying our own plane tickets and flying as well.
It was the only time I had ever tried to go to Canada and I will never try again. Mexico NO PROBLEM but the canadians can KISS MY ASS!!!!!!!!!!



P.S. Dont try lying to them they run you through interpol!

^^^ Canada, especially in the N.W., ....

^^^ Canada, especially in the N.W., ....

.... has seen devastating and marked increases in drunk driving fatalities over the last decade or so.

You can typically pay what is commonly referred to as a 'rehabilitation fee' of approximately $200.00 (as a rule) and get 'rehabilitated.' (The $900.00 fee surprises me a bit, but I imagine that it's somewhat at their 'discretion.')

I chuckle at that a bit, though I truly feel a kindred spirit in the Yukon Territory, as I have spent a great deal of time there, and have also seen drunk drivers do great harm to persons I love and care for there.

I figure that their standard $200.00 rehab fee is somewhat more laissez faire and honest than our process for those with drinking problems or arrests; here we mind-fuck them by sending them to Betty Ford or somewhere equally cheesey, at $1,500.00 day+, and only let them have a 'completed' status after thoroughly processing the traumas of their potty training as an infant, and assessing the degree to which they loved or hated their parents.

There, they ask for $200.00 (much less $ in the grand scheme of things, and with less psychological intrusion) and, more often than not, stamp 'rehabilitated' over their files.

Though I have recently heard of cases where that was used as only guaranteeing passage on THAT specific trip, and, much to their surprise, persons who had already been 'rehabilitated' were denied on subsequent or future trips. Which could make travel through Canada seriously expensive for some, I guess.

Regards,

moose eater

wow that sucks id be pissed i have to say that i thought canada was cool but they are letting me down bigtime.

thats some bullshit

sorry to here that Canada is getting to be such an ...I truly am embarrassed ... seems like this crap is never going to end.

The $900 was to be paid to the Canadian Consulate's office to get a reprieve so to say and allow passage through the country. My understanding was that it was a 5 day pass in the country to allow enough time to get to Alaska.

^^^ That sounds somewhat different than ....

^^^ That sounds somewhat different than ....

... their standard $200.00 'rehab fee.'

And, as I said earlier, I've recently (last 1-4 years) heard of cases where persons who had paid their 'rehab fees' (still can't type or say it without a cynical chuckle!!) for passage, were turned around in subsequent trips.

Do ya' s'pose they'd give refunds if in a future trip those who've paid, but were turned back later, told the Canadian Customs Office that it was apparently the opinion of a different Canadian Customs Officer that the initial rehabilitation effort was unsuccessful??!! ;^>)

Regards,

moose eater

bummer dude sorry to hear...