Two Canadians who tried to bring bottles of cannabidiol (CBD) oil into the Washington state have been banned from entering the US again, even though cannabis and CBD are legal in Washington and the US.

From CTV News:

When CTV News reached out to U.S. Customs & Border Protection for clarification about these cases, a CBP spokesperson reiterated that it remains illegal to import marijuana under U.S. federal law.

When asked about specific marijuana-derived products like Cbd Oil, spokesperson Jason Givens directed CTV to a website related to hemp seed importation that read in part: “Products containing THC, the hallucinogenic substance in marijuana, are illegal to import. Products that do not cause THC to enter the human body are therefore legal products.”

Saunders couldn’t say how much THC, if any, his clients’ oils contained, or if the content was clearly labelled. CBD oils for sale vary from high THC concentrations to little-to-no THC content.

When CTV News pressed the CBP’s Givens on whether a Canadian carrying CBD oil that was labeled as containing “no THC” would be stopped at the border and subjected to a lifetime entry ban, he responded:

“Items labeled ‘THC free’ sometimes contain detectable amounts of THC… every situation is unique and determinations about admissibility are made by an immigration officer based on the facts and circumstances known to the officer at the time, including responses to questions that are posed by CBP officers.”