When Canada began discussing the possibility of ending marijuana prohibition nationwide, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the move would be less about the economic benefits of legalization and more about bringing down organized crime. "Criminal organizations make billions of dollars a year in profits on the sale of marijuana,” Trudeau told the Canadian Press earlier this year. “We need to move forward on a system that controls and regulates while In protecting our kids and our communities.”

The governments of Japan, South Korea and China are warning their citizens to stay away from cannabis while they are in Canada, lest they damage their health or be faced with the possibility of repercussions at home. On Monday, the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto published a letter on their official website urging Chinese citizens and international students in particular to avoid consuming legal weed in Canada “to protect [their] physical and mental health.” All possession, sale or growing of cannabis in China is illegal. Canada, on Oct. 17, legalized recreational marijuana, making it the largest country in the world to do so.

Tourists thinking of enhancing a boat ride across Waterton Lake with some recreational marijuana next summer better be aware of two things.

First, while Canada has legalized cannabis for general use it remains illegal to take it across the U.S. international border. And second, tour boats sailing out of Waterton Lakes National Park and into Glacier National Park don’t allow smoking of anything onboard, from tobacco to weed.

“We did not do this to become the world of partying for people who like cannabis,” Canadian Consul General Stephane Lessard said in an interview with the Missoulian. “People should be responsible. It’s like responsible drinking. Use common sense. Stay within the law.”

Shifting statements from U.S. border officials have prompted some Canadian cannabis industry players to think twice about travelling south of the border, just weeks before a significant pot industry conference in Las Vegas.

Marijuana has been legal in Canada for over a week and already there have been a few problems. Police have already fined Canadians for driving high, and with the more frequent roadblocks and highway surveillence we can expect more charges to be handed out in the following weeks.

On top of that, most legal stores are already running out of product. Needless to say, it's a rocky start. Things are only going to get worse though, as the federal government is imposing new cannabis laws that are much more strict than before. The new laws will take effect on December 18 and for the most part concern impaired driving.

It turns out that when you legalize marijuana, a lot of people show up to buy it. That development seemed to surprise cannabis controllers in Canada, where shortages were reported almost immediately after legal recreational sales began last week.

Recreational cannabis use may now be legal in Canada, but South Koreans visiting the country who are tempted to smoke up risk facing punishment back home, their government warned on Tuesday.

“Even if South Koreans are in a region where marijuana is legal, it will be illegal for them to consume it,” the South Korean Embassy in Canada said on Twitter. “Please take care not to commit an illegal act and be punished.”

South Koreans have known for decades that they can be prosecuted at home for using drugs overseas, even in countries where consumption is legal.

Under the country’s narcotics law, growing, possessing, transporting or consuming marijuana is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won, about $44,000.

Mexico "absolutely" could follow Canada's lead in legalizing marijuana as a way to reduce violence generated by a war on drugs that "doesn't work," its incoming foreign minister said Tuesday.

Marcelo Ebrard, who will become foreign minister when Mexico's president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office December 1, said he discussed Ottawa's experience Monday with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Asked whether Mexico might follow Canada's example, Ebrard told reporters, "Sure, absolutely."

"We think it is a very interesting option in the short term for Mexico," he said. "We think there are two options: the Canadian model or the Uruguay model."

It is official: recreational marijuana is legal in Canada with effect from October 17. With that comes a patchwork of jurisdictional laws establishing where and how marijuana products will be sold and used by consumers.

The Cannabis Act has officially come into force, meaning Canadians can now legally possess and consume recreational cannabis (with some restrictions, of course).

Travelling cannasseurs can now rejoice at not having to search through every bit of luggage before hopping over to a domestic destination (border crossing with weed is still illegal).

Here are the most common modes of transportation and how to stay compliant when you travel with cannabis.

Domestic flights

According to a statement from Transport Canada, “after October 17, 2018, passengers will be permitted to have a legal amount of cannabis, which is 30 grams, in either their carry on or checked bag, if they are flying to a domestic destination.”