5.1 Canadian Drug Policy

Canadian Drug Legislation Post-1960

1961: Narcotics Control Act (NCA)
1987: Federal/Canadian Drug Strategy (FDS/CDS)
1996: Controlled Drugs & Substances Act (CDSA)
2007: National Anti-Drug Strategy (NADS)
2012: Safe Streets and Communities Act (SSCA)
2016: Canadian Drugs & Substances Strategy (CDSS)
2017: Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act
2018: Tobacco and Vaping Product Act (TVPA)
2018: Cannabis Act


VIDEO: Contemporary Canadian Drug Policies (1960s-Present)

The following slideshow provides an overview of contemporary Canadian drug policies from the 1960s to early 2022.


Click the links below to learn more about Canadian drug law and policy:

Quick Facts: Canada’s Drug Laws & Strategies

Cannabis in Canada: Get the Facts

Tobacco and Vaping Products Act


VIDEO:
Professor Susan Boyd: An Illustrated History of Canadian Drug Policy & Prohibition 

The following video provides a detailed history of Canadian drug and alcohol policy. (Start watching at 25 minute mark).

Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy (CDSS)

Today, drug policies in Canada are informed by the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy (CDSS). The goal of this Strategy is protecting the health and safety of all Canadians by minimizing harms from substance use for individuals, families, and communities (CDPC, 2020b; Health Canada, 2018). There are 4 pillars of the 2016 Drug Strategy, originally introduced through the Federal Drug Strategy (1987).

 

Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy with 4 pillars for prevention, treatment, harm reduction
Pillars of the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy. © Heath Canada (2018). All rights reserved. Image used with permission.

Click the links below to learn more about the CDSS:

The New Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy

Background Document: Public Consultation on Strengthening Canada’s Approach to Substance Use Issues (Read Pages 7-8)

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Psychoactive Substances & Society (2nd Edition)* Copyright © 2024 by Jacqueline Lewis & Jillian Holland-Penney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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