3.4 Early Canadian Drug Policies

Canada’s first federal narcotics law, The Opium Act (1908), prohibited importation and use of opium for non-medical purposes (British Columbia, n.d.). It reflected a redefinition of the moral impact of opium by a small group of politically/socially influential moral reformers (CDPC, 2021). In 1911, The Opium and Drug Act was enacted, which added other drugs such as cocaine and morphine to the list of prohibited substances (CDPC, 2021). This Act also worked to expand police powers, which contributed to the targeting of Chinese men and the rise of drug-related convictions (CDPC, 2021). The Opium and Narcotic Drug Act was passed in 1920, and various amendments were made to the Act from 1920 to 1930 (Nolin and Kenny, 2002). Such amendments gave police new powers, such as the ability to conduct drug searches without a warrant (Nolin and Kenny, 2002).