Why do Americans think marijuana is legal in Canada?

Americans are extremely partisan on political issues. Certain lobby groups, special interest groups, and political parties go to extremely lengths to try to make the other side look bad and this often involved lying.

The myth that the 911 hijackers came from Canada went on for years. Why?... because some groups opposed to illegal Mexican immigration want a wall along the borders and having Americans think that terrorists get across the border helps you get them to agree to this. The myth that the east-coast power outage started in Canada was told over and over again. Why? ... because those responsible didn't want to spend billions fixing their power systems. The myth that mad cow disease comes from Canada was told over and over again. Why? ... because US beef producers would rather not have competition.

It happens with all sorts of nonsense. Health care, troops in Afghanistan, gun control, education, banking systems, STD rates, softwood lumber subsidies, public ownership of energy production, gay marriage laws, etc. there is always some American group willing to lie about Canada because they don't want Americans to look at or consider adopting Canadian policies... merely because it would cost them.

Some people in the US want harsher drug laws. It is inconvenient to them that drug usage rates in Canada are significantly lower despite lower penalties. So... it is a good tactic to just start lying about drug use in Canada. Everyone is on drugs, it is widespread, you can get pot anywhere, etc. Focus on individual cases and hope that Americans think that drug use in Canada is worse than the US.

This tactic works especially well in the US media as (some) radio, TV, and newspapers have such extreme bias on subjects and that the 'counter view' is never heard.

BTW. Pot is legal in Canada. It's a prescription drug the same way as antibiotics. You can visit a doctor and get a prescription. Most provinces do have an extra step of needing a special license in order to purchase it from a government grower/distributor since it isn't normally carried in drug stores. If you buy it, grow it, or sell it without a license you get the same penalties as selling prescription drugs illegally.

Several reasons. One is that, in some cases, it is legal. Medical marijuana is allowed, under stringent regulations. Another is the goofy things that cities like Vancouver do - giving out free needles to drug users (although diabetics have to pay for their own) giving out free mouthpieces for crack users, etc. These sorts of things only promote the notion that drugs are legal in Canada and easy to obtain. It isn't true, but some people read only the headlines in the newspapers and not the stories underneath those headlines that explain the conditions under which some of these items are allowed.

Probably because the laws and police are pretty Nazi-ish when it comes to drugs in the United States, whereas in Canada we traditionally tend to be a little more relaxed on that front.

Not to mention places like the The New Amsterdam Cafe (http://newamsterdamcafe.com/) in Vancouver where you can openly smoke and the cops turn a blind eye.

Some people don't understand the difference between "decriminalized for personal consumption" and "legal." Decriminalized just means that in very small amounts, getting caught with possession is more like getting a speeding ticket than getting arrested. But as soon as you have more than the amount deemed appropriate for "personal consumption," you could be charged with trafficking.

The coffee shops (technically known as "dispensaries") you see on TV are restricted for people who have been prescribed medicinal marijuana by a doctor. Several shops have been shut down and the operators arrested for not being stringent enough in verifying prescriptions.

Also, they hear that it's not enforced as much up here, and that rumour gets turned into it being "legalized" up here.

It all comes down to wishful thinking.

Im not American im British but i saw something on TV about Marijuana in Canada and from what i remember they were showing places like coffee shops where people can go and smoke it,just like in The Coffee shops in the Netherlands.So i can see why they probably think its legal but even in The Netherlands its not legal,its only legal to smoke it in the coffee shops but nowhere else.

It think it was in Vancouver or Montreal

It was decriminalized in the Province of Ontario by the Liberals. As a result there are 3 legal places in Toronto that you can enjoy smoking weed. If you don't know these places, educate yourself. They are all in downtown core. It is not at all a myth. We can smoke weed freely in Toronto at designated places and could carry up to 3 grammes without being harassed by anyone.I have no clue about the rest of the country.

I know it's illegal in Canada.... I watch Trailer Park Boys.

It basically might as well be, it is verrrry hard to get caught in Canada. Everyone does it, 2% of them actually get caught