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Amount of cannabis seized at Canada-U.S. border jumped 75% after legalization

U.S. border guards seized more than 2,000 kilograms the year after legalization
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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

The amount of cannabis seized from travellers heading from Canada into the U.S. has gone up by 75 per cent since legalization north of the border.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, border officers seized 2,214 kilograms of cannabis between Nov. 1, 2018, and Oct. 13, 2019. That is nearly double the 1,259 kilograms seized in the same period the year prior.

Canada legalized recreational cannabis on Oct. 17, 2018, while the drug remains illegal federally in the U.S.

According to a CPB spokesperson, the agency recognizes an increase, but says such seizures and incidents typically vary from year to year.

READ MORE: ‘B.C. bud’ cannabis still underground, John Horgan hopes to rescue it


@katslepian

katya.slepian@bpdigital.ca

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