Pot prohibition coming to an end

Canada's recreational pot prohibition officially comes to an end on Oct. 17, meaning big business for people like Chuck Rifici.

The CEO of Nesta Holdings and the Auxly Cannabis Group — also once the chief financial officer of the federal Liberal party — says it's even worth losing his Nexus card over.

"I lost it over a technicality but ultimately I was targeted and searched and spent two hours in secondary because I was involved in the legal cannabis industry. The U.S can refuse entry for any number of reasons. I think that problem will work itself out because a large number of Canadians are going to legally consume cannabis," he said.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection told the American online publication Politico that Canadians who invest in cannabis companies or work in the industry could be turned away at the border, even after recreational marijuana becomes legal in Canada this month.

"It is a concern and at the end of the day, I think that is part of the risk. Those in the industry view that the U.S prohibition has been a huge gift to the Canadian industry — the fact that we're not competing with large, huge, well-financed U.S. firms targeting the same international markets — and so we just kind of take that as it is," Rifici said.