Canada Driving from US to Canada border

Rink123

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I’m looking for firsthand accounts of what it’s actually like to drive over the US-Canada border while carrying research peptides for personal use.

  • How did the border process go?
  • Did you declare them, or did you choose not to?
  • Were there any interactions with border officers?
  • What was the outcome — smooth crossing, questions asked, seizure, or something else?
I’d also like to hear from folks who cross by car on a regular basis about what the inspection process involves. Do they search through personal belongings? I’ve never crossed by car.

This is for informational purposes only. Trying to plan a trip and understand the practical side of things beforehand.

Thanks!
 
When they ask you something, that's all you answer. Apart from alcohol and tobacco, nothing gets declared. Fruits and veggies stay home. Keep a smile on, remove your sunglasses, stay courteous, and you'll be fine. The return trip can be far worse than heading into Canada. Across 35 years I've made the trip 50+ times and the Canadian border has never given me a problem. Coming back works the same way: answer only what's asked, be courteous, and pull off your sunglasses. Personal-use peptides are of zero interest to either side. This is just what I've experienced.
 
Usually, the whole thing goes fast. They ask where you're from, where you're headed, how long you'll stay, and whether you have anything to declare. On the return trip, they want to know if you bought items worth more than X dollars, and if you're bringing any alcohol.

It takes 2-3 minutes at most. Just avoid looking suspicious.
 
Galapagosfit said:

Usually, the whole thing goes fast. They ask where you're from, where you're headed, how long you'll stay, and whether you have anything to declare. On the return trip, they want to know if you bought items worth more than X dollars, and if you're bringing any alcohol.

It takes 2-3 minutes at most. Just avoid looking suspicious.
Ha. Still, do your best to avoid it. Their whole approach relies on folks volunteering far more than what was actually asked. If children are with you, instruct them to stay silent and only talk when addressed. The last thing you need is one of them shouting, "BUT DAD!? WHAT ABOUT ALL THE PRESENTS WE BROUGHT!!?" — exactly what happened with me one year.
 
Chili777 said:

When they ask you something, that's all you answer. Apart from alcohol and tobacco, nothing gets declared. Fruits and veggies stay home. Keep a smile on, remove your sunglasses, stay courteous, and you'll be fine. The return trip can be far worse than heading into Canada. Across 35 years I've made the trip 50+ times and the Canadian border has never given me a problem. Coming back works the same way: answer only what's asked, be courteous, and pull off your sunglasses. Personal-use peptides are of zero interest to either side. This is just what I've experienced.
Has anyone here been pulled aside for a full search, with every bag dumped out and your vehicle taken apart? It happened to me. Plenty of people never go through that, then report that everything went fine. In my situation, I had nothing prohibited on me.

What I would suggest:

Should an officer ask about medication, whether spoken or on a form, do not lie. They will locate it, and that leads to problems. Once that happens, they will want to know what the drugs are, so have your answers ready.

Saying nothing is also poor guidance. A search means fines and/or being denied entry, and a false statement is perjury, which means you broke the law. Being banned for life is not something I want for myself; it does happen, though not to me.

Each country has rules that call for an Rx, but enforcement is light unless you give them a reason to look closer.

In most cases they will simply swab it and confirm it is not a schedule I or II drug.

Keep the amount at or under a 90 day supply, or avoid anything that looks like more than 90 days.

One person was carrying a large number of pills plus 50+ disposable pens and kept repeating the word "insulin" (it was some kind of glp-1). A supervisor was brought in and asked for an Rx; it was not in english, and they released him without taking the large quantity of pens and pills.

Most peps may be fine, but at a minimum I have seen Schedule III taken away in small amounts, and I have seen people arrested over larger amounts of steroids without an Rx.
 
nitetrak said:

Chili777 said:

When they ask you something, that's all you answer. Apart from alcohol and tobacco, nothing gets declared. Fruits and veggies stay home. Keep a smile on, remove your sunglasses, stay courteous, and you'll be fine. The return trip can be far worse than heading into Canada. Across 35 years I've made the trip 50+ times and the Canadian border has never given me a problem. Coming back works the same way: answer only what's asked, be courteous, and pull off your sunglasses. Personal-use peptides are of zero interest to either side. This is just what I've experienced.
Has anyone here been pulled aside for a full search, with every bag dumped out and your vehicle taken apart? It happened to me. Plenty of people never go through that, then report that everything went fine. In my situation, I had nothing prohibited on me.

What I would suggest:

Should an officer ask about medication, whether spoken or on a form, do not lie. They will locate it, and that leads to problems. Once that happens, they will want to know what the drugs are, so have your answers ready.

Saying nothing is also poor guidance. A search means fines and/or being denied entry, and a false statement is perjury, which means you broke the law. Being banned for life is not something I want for myself; it does happen, though not to me.

Each country has rules that call for an Rx, but enforcement is light unless you give them a reason to look closer.

In most cases they will simply swab it and confirm it is not a schedule I or II drug.

Keep the amount at or under a 90 day supply, or avoid anything that looks like more than 90 days.

One person was carrying a large number of pills plus 50+ disposable pens and kept repeating the word "insulin" (it was some kind of glp-1). A supervisor was brought in and asked for an Rx; it was not in english, and they released him without taking the large quantity of pens and pills.

Most peps may be fine, but at a minimum I have seen Schedule III taken away in small amounts, and I have seen people arrested over larger amounts of steroids without an Rx.
Heading into Canada has never given me trouble — not a single time. The trouble has been on the way back: US CBP pulled my car apart on 2 occasions. 1 of those was because I had a Cuban cigar. The other had no reason beyond their own amusement; they removed the seats. Even so, they never requested prescriptions for any meds we had, and they never brought it up at all. That may be different now. My peps stay in a travel case, and I have flown with them without any issues too. Once more, personal amounts are very unlikely to cause a problem.
 
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