I agree. I live in Colorado, and while I haven’t been harassed going out of State with Colorado license plates, my brother has. All the freaking way over in Indiana.
Pulled over for VERY questionable reason, had to wait for drug dog to come search his car. He is a professional driver that has a CDL. He works for the government. He gets randomly tested. He CAN’T smoke. All of this apparently went over the cops head.
My wife and I drove up to Vancouver a few months ago for a day. Crossing into Canada was a breeze, asked why we were here (just a visit), showed our passports and told to have a nice day. 5 hours later we returned. First was a 45 minute wait, asked what was the purpose of out visit (something to do for the day) and asked what we bought (lunch and some candy) and we were on our way. No passports needed, our driver’s licenses worked just fine. Except for a shorter than normal waiting to re-enter the US, it was pretty typical of what we encounter.
I will be crossing to the US by train on Friday and this has concerned me too. Not just for me, but for all the people on the train. Will they take two hours instead of one? Will they bring sniffer dogs on board? Will they ask more searching questions? I’ll report when I get the chance. I won’t be carrying any banned substances, but I imagine a few people on the train will. The funny thing is how little has changed since legalization 5 days ago. They have set it up in such a clunky way that the illegal pot trade is business as usual.
IME, the more documentation you have the less likely you are to get asked for it. My shortest trip was a pop over for Tim Horton’s and then back in a couple hours tops. And my traveling companion had only a military ID on them, no proof of residency; but Border Patrol waved us through after a minute or so of staring, grimacing, squinting and throat-clearing. That was around 2012, I think.
Ironically, I have had my car searched - on suspicion that I was bringing smoked meat into America, which is illegal.
Returning from a solo vacation in Jamaica, circa 1995, fitting the profile to a t (long pony tail, red eyes) I got pulled aside for a closer look. I laughed like a fool as my luggage was searched. He asked me the same questions over and over and I answered them honestly.
The last meal before departure was a half ounce of Jamaican green, stir fried lightly and blended into an omelet. I was high af but knew I had nothing incriminating in my luggage.
If I lived closer to the Canadian border I’d put on my Cheech/Chong tshirt and make repeated visits north just to troll the US on my return. 
On my last return trip from Canada the U.S. Customs guy asked if we had any alcohol in the back. 'Yep. Maybe a little under a 12 pack". “Let me see”. He looked in the cooler and no further and we were on our way. Maybe it was a variation on “How much have you had to drink?” “Two”. “Sure. Step out of the car please.” Come to think of it, on the way into to Canada the officer asked if we planned on selling the two kayaks on roof while we were there. That one caught me completely off guard. Are black market kayaks a thing in the Great White North? BTW, those kayaks could have been filled with all sorts of contraband. No one asked to look inside them going either way.
Literally thousands of people cross the border every day, legal weed or not. You’re overthinking it. Have fun, visit your family. Montreal is beautiful this time of year.
I have to admit I’m surprised to see there are people who are certain that innocent people have no reason to worry about encounters with law enforcement because law enforcement never harasses innocent people.
I think you’re misreading what some people are saying. No one has said that law enforcement “never” harasses innocent people, because we know it happens. It’s fortunately rare in the great scheme of things, but it happens. However, the fact that it sometimes happens is grounds only for reasonable prudence in avoiding what a reasonable person would judge to be suspicious behavior (which a day trip to Canada is NOT, under almost any conceivable circumstances). It is NOT grounds for excessive, unreasonable paranoia. That is what people are telling you, and I agree. There is no guarantee that you won’t run into a customs agent who is a real asshole and having a bad day, but that small risk is always present. Most of us never see it.
This. I’m picturing Little Nemo’s return to the US:
US CBP: Good afternoon, sir. May I see your passport? [Nemo hands it over.] Ah. American. What was the purpose of your trip to Canada?
Nemo: I wanted to see Montreal.
CBP: And what did you do in Montreal?
Nemo: I parked, and had lunch. Then I wandered through the McGill University campus, and walked up Mount Royal.
CBP: How long were you in Montreal?
Nemo: I dunno–maybe six or eight hours?
CBP: Anything to declare?
Nemo: Well, I got my nephew a Mountie keyring.
CBP: Thanks very much, sir. You’re free to go. Next!
That’ll be about it. An answer of, “I did not go to buy marijuana” will almost certainly get you and your car searched. An answer of “I had lunch and walked through Old Montreal” won’t. Be calm and cool and answer all questions honestlly, and you should have no trouble.
That’s pretty much exactly the interview my wife, two friends, and I had two weeks ago, when we crossed back into the US after a week in Quebec. The US Border Patrol agent asked our birthdays and how we all knew each other, and how many days we’d spent in Montreal and Quebec City, then said “Welcome back!” There was a big sign on the Canadian side warning about bringing weed into the US, and another one at the border post saying that drug dogs were on duty, but the agent was friendly and he waved us through. The wait for the interview was longer than the interview itself.
It’s been many years ago, but when visiting the Niagara Falls area it’s not uncommon for folks to cross back and forth a few times each day. You might be staying on the US side, but visit sites on the Canadian side. Then go back to your motel for a rest and cross back to eat or see more sights later the same day.
Perhaps if the OP crosses at a busy tourist crossing area possible issues might be minimal?
I am aware of the procedure at the border. I’ve probably crossed the border a couple hundred times.
And I have been stopped and held at the border on several occasions. So I am personally aware that it happens. It’s never been because I’ve been doing anything illegal. It’s just because something falsely triggers the border guard’s suspicions.
For what it’s worth, my experience has been the opposite. Whenever I’ve been stopped it’s been at one of the major crossings. I speculate it’s because those crossings have more people working at them, so they have more leeway to search vehicles. I usually try to use one of the small out-of-the-way crossings.
They’re really reading how at ease/anxious you are mostly. If you’re anticipating problems it can indeed make you seem ill at ease. And THAT puts a big target on you.
Just relax, anticipate sliding on through without incident. You may still get checked, of course, but it reduces how ill at ease you seem, decreasing the chance of that happening, in my opinion.
Good Luck!
Well, your personal experience is at odds with your thoughts on this manner. ‘Several’ occasions of scrutiny out of hundreds seems like a reasonable ratio. I too, have crossed the border many, many times and have been subjected to more intensive screening maybe a handful of times. I think that’s reasonable and I’m not overly concerned about my future experiences. Why are you?
I just crossed the border by train. It was absolutely standard. Even the 20 something woman travelling alone to NY did not get any question except the routined glance at the passport and where are you going and what for. With a US passport my wife and I only got asked what was our status in Canada. “Dual citizen” and he just left. They just didn’t seem interested in pot.
Because I’ve crossed the border a lot of times and I know that the amount of scrutiny the border guards give goes up and down based on external circumstances. The recent legalization of marijuana in Canada seems like a possible external circumstance. So I was hoping that somebody who crosses the border on a regular basis could tell me if there was a heightened level of suspicions this month.
I think the question in the OP is a fair one. Many people are giving their experiences crossing the border, and I could add mine, but that is not what the OP is asking.
Canada just legalized recreational marijuana last week. Thousands of U.S. Citizens will be travelling to Canada in the near weeks and months before the novelty wears off for the sole purpose, or possibly a strong secondary purpose, simply to purchase and consume legal marijuana.
Many of those people will have the idea to try to sneak some extra back in their suitcase.
The question (my rephrase): Given this new development, is the USCBP, at least for now, stepping up enforcement beyond the typical questions to make extra sure that U.S. Citizens are not trying/succeeding in bringing back marijuana?
It is a fair question, and if I was in his position, I would think that someone who stayed less than a day in Canada would be screened harder (Agent thinks he popped over, bought a bunch of weed and is bringing it back) than someone that stayed three days or a week.