Shagnasty is probably talking about the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, which straddles the border between Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont. As far as I’m aware, it’s still open, but when I went over there I couldn’t visit as it was Sunday. I’ve heard that there are border guards inside the library but I’m not sure users have to exit through the same door they entered. It probably wouldn’t make that much sense. After all, the building is just next to an uninspected border-crossing street. The street is closed with cement blocks, but for pedestrians or cyclists it’s extremely easy to cross, which I assume is illegal in theory.
This is what I was told by someone who ran a Canadian tour boat on the Lakes: when he got over to the American side, everyone had to stay in the boat except the master of the vessel. The master could get out, but only to go to contact customs authorities (use the dockside phone to call the harbourmaster’s office, for example). Presumably, he was allowed to secure the boat to the dock. 
Customs would come to check the ID of the others on the boat, then they could cone ashore. Mind you, this was with tour groups, and pre-9/11, so it’s probably different now.
It’s the same kind of deal where the border goes through the wilderness areas in WA, ID and MT. There’s just a couple of yard wide clear cut and an obelisk every few miles, but it’s pretty much honor system that you’ll check in with customs if you’re going on an international backpack.
I heard a thing on NPR a few years ago that was about the border patrol’s horseback patrols that patrols these sections of the border and at one point they mentioned that they’ve never actually caught anyone doing anything (but they like to think they’re a deterrent).
You’re welcome. Sometimes the more obscure (even silly) wars are the most interesting:
slight hijack…Why? Liquor and cigarettes are both legal in Canada, so why not import them through legal channels?
In the opposite vein, drugs are illegal in both countries so why would our shared border be a hotspot for drugs? It’s not like I can go to Toronto and buy a suitcase full of cocaine in a grocery store and try to bring it home…
taxes
varying degrees of enforcement. pot isn’t such a big deal in Canada
also, may be easier for non north-american drug producers to smuggle stuff in through canada first (as most attention is paid on preventing the inflow from the carribean and mexico) and then into the US
Point Roberts, Washington is the funniest one of them all.
It sits at the end of a peninsula. 3 of the 4 borders are water. the fourth is canada.
That must be it. It has been years since I read about it. I think Canadians are just about the scariest group of people imaginable. They look just just like and sound almost like regular people especially in the border areas and no one can really tell. Talk about stealth superpowers.
From 50 years living about 30 miles from the St. Lawrmce River where it is flowing ‘flat water’ and the international boundary, the policy, at least before 2001, was one of de minimis non curat lex. The Border Patrol and their Canadian counterparts were quick to act on any suspected smuggling, e.g., of drugs or high-value merchandise, but if a boater chose to eat, fuel, or even shop across the border from where he lived or was vacationing, it was not seen as a criminal issue.
It’s possible things have changed now with the terrorism issue and tightening of border security.
Like Rumor_Watkins says, taxes. Federal and provincial excise and sales taxes on alcohol and tobacco are much higher in Canada than in the US. So smugglers buy cheaply in the US and sell a little less cheaply in Canada. They make a profit and the Canadian consumer who buys the smuggled goods still gets a better deal than he or she would if the goods were bought legally in Canada.
Yep, I quit smoking 4 years ago but instead of paying $65-80 dollars for a carton of 200 cigarettes, if you knew the right people you could get the same brand for $25-35 per carton. Duty and Tax free!
It’s a multimillion dollar smuggling industry, and liquor is about the same.
Canada also didn’t declare “war” on drugs, drug related sentences are less severe and marijuana is decriminalized so it may be easier to cultivate and distribute.
Marijuana is not decriminalized in Canada - the laws that make it illegal are still in effect despite a few efforts to legalize possession of small amounts (less than 15g, I think). It is illegal to grow and sell (except for medical marijuana providers), and although personal consumption of it is tolerated, a user can still be prosecuted for smoking weed.
Agreed. The penalties for possession for stated small amounts have been decreased, but other than that, possession remains a criminal matter and provides for a criminal record upon conviction. If marijuana was indeed decriminalized, it would have the same effect as a speeding ticket. But it doesn’t–it is still criminalized.
Sorry, I had to type fast for the edit window, I over-generalized and omitted that it pertains to possession.
Americans cross the border to buy cheaper drugs every day.
In the summer Lake Erie and the Detroit river has boats every where. Once in a while a boat is pulled over but they can not come close to checking the majority. It is easy to smuggle.
Canadian beer has a bigger alcoholic content than American beer. They also have better beers. So a lot of alcohol is taken over the border.