LETTER

Lie to me

 

I recall, a couple of years ago, an amusing round of border crossing stories during which we laughed merrily at a close shave involving a very small quantity of pot, fortunately undetected in a cursory examination. Now, it appears, at least half the adult travellers into the US might have to choose between lying to a border guard or risking a lifetime ban for confessing to having so much as tried the demon weed. See http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/marijuana-border-customs-answers-1.3755979.

One presumes that this particular loopy law won’t be stringently enforced, or tourism and business travel will plummet, but it could be unwise to underestimate the potential for irrational action in any branch of the constabulary. Perhaps it will prove another useful mechanism for busting people with larger issues at stake, like stopping drug dealers for minor traffic offences, but it’s still, basically, just nuts. A foretaste of Trump’s America, God forbid.

Elizabeth Lamb
Toronto