Driving from US to Canada border

I chuckled at the thought. It's easy to reveal extra details they never requested since that's what they expect from folks. With my own children nearby I keep them silent and they only answer if someone addresses them directly. You really don't want a kid suddenly bringing up the gifts we carried in the way it happened to me once.

I once went through an inspection where agents emptied out all my luggage completely and took apart sections of my automobile. That had never happened to most travelers I know who later claimed everything went smoothly. Nothing I carried was prohibited at the time. When they inquired about any medicines I answered honestly because they would locate them anyway and create issues. I had to explain their purpose right then. Skipping disclosure can lead to penalties or being turned away at the border and false statements count as perjury so I avoided breaking rules. A permanent prohibition from entry is something I hope to never face even though others have dealt with it. Every nation has rules about needing prescriptions yet they rarely act on them without cause. Usually they just test the items to confirm they are not the most restricted substances. I avoided exceeding what would look like a three month amount. Someone else carried a big quantity of tablets along with over fifty injector devices and kept repeating a single term for a diabetes treatment they were questioned by a higher ranking official who wanted proof of authorization the document was not in the local language so everything was returned and he continued on his way. Many similar products pass without incident yet I have witnessed small quantities of mid level controlled items being taken and larger steroid loads without authorization resulting in detention.

Traveling into Canada has always gone smoothly for me. Returning to the States though has been different. Officials searched my vehicle thoroughly on two occasions. One involved a cigar from Cuba while the other seemed pointless. They even removed the seats during the process. Medications weren't questioned at all including any documentation. Perhaps procedures have updated since then. I store my supplements in a portable container and have taken them on planes without trouble. Small quantities like that don't tend to draw attention.