Ryan Yamasaki: Border and Marijuana Possession

ryan yamasaki: The U.S. government classifies marijuana as a controlled substance, like heroin and LSD. Prior to Jan. 1, it's going to be the same after Jan. 1, because nothing changed on our end, said Ryan Yamasaki, an assistant chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector, according to Toronto Star. If you're a federal law enforcement agency, you uphold federal laws. Marijuana possession still will be prohibited at eight Border Patrol checkpoints in California, a reminder that state and federal laws collide when it comes to pot. The checkpoints, located up to 161 kilometres from Mexico, are considered a final line of defence against immigrants who elude agents at the border. About 40 per cent of pot seizures at Border Patrol checkpoints from fiscal years 2013 to 2016 were 28 grams or less from U.S. citizens, according to a Government Accountability Office report last month. They also have been a trap for U.S. citizens carrying drugs, even tiny bags of marijuana. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.