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Super Bowl contest winner barred from U.S. over decades-old pot charge

Myles Wilkinson has lost out on the trip of a lifetime due to a pot possession conviction 32 years ago.

A B.C. resident might have thought his fun-loving teenage years were behind him but he learned otherwise this weekend when U.S. customs barred him from entering the country, according to the CBC.

Myles Wilkinson is a Victoria resident in his 50s who won a fantasy football contest for a trip to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. But once, more than 30 years ago, Wilkinson was a teenager. And teenagers sometimes break the law.

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In his case, Wilkinson says he was charged with possession of marijuana in 1981, when he was 19 years old. He says he had two grams of cannabis for which he paid a $50 fine.

That charge led U.S. customs agents to turn Wilkinson around on his heels at Pearson International Airport, saying he was not allowed to enter the country.

A visibly miffed Wilkinson told the news station he couldn't believe a charge from decades ago could still forbid him to travel in the United States. He said this trip meant as much to him as a visit to the Vatican would mean to a devout Catholic.

You don't mess with someone's sports religion unless you're ready for the backlash. However, the response has come mostly from advocates of decriminalizing marijuana. They say this type of belated legal slap happens all the time.

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Meanwhile, Wilkinson celebrated Super Bowl Sunday at Bud Light Canada's party in Vancouver.