Table 3
Police-reported crime for selected drug offences, Canada, 2017 and 2018


Table 3
Police-reported crime for selected drug offences, Canada, 2017 and 2018
Table summary
This table displays the results of Police-reported crime for selected drug offences. The information is grouped by Type of offence (appearing as row headers), 2017, 2018, Change in rate 2017 to 2018 and Change in rate 2008 to 2018, calculated using number, rate and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Type of offence 2017Note r: revised 2018 Change in rate 2017 to 2018 Change in rate 2008 to 2018
number rate number rate percent
Total drug offences 92,986 254 83,483 225 -11 -27
Cannabis - possessionTable 3 Note 1 38,779 106 26,194 71 -33 -53
Cannabis - traffickingTable 3 Note 1 5,940 16 3,349 9 -44 -64
Cannabis - production or importation/exportationTable 3 Note 1 Table 3 Note 2 5,028 14 4,898 13 -4 -33
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - possessionTable 3 Note 3 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable 458 1 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - distributionTable 3 Note 3 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable 175 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - saleTable 3 Note 3 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable 236 1 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - importation or exportationTable 3 Note 2 Table 3 Note 3 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable 308 1 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - productionTable 3 Note 3 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable 98 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - otherTable 3 Note 4 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable 179 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Cocaine - possession 7,161 20 6,903 19 -5 -41
Cocaine - trafficking 6,546 18 6,839 18 3 -44
Cocaine - production or importation/exportationTable 3 Note 2 321 1 583 2 79 45
Methamphetamine - possessionTable 3 Note 5 9,360 26 10,400 28 10 Note ...: not applicable
Methamphetamine - traffickingTable 3 Note 5 2,409 7 2,680 7 10 Note ...: not applicable
Methamphetamine - production or importation/exportationTable 3 Note 2 Table 3 Note 5 152 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 523 1 239 Note ...: not applicable
Ecstasy - possessionTable 3 Note 5 302 1 283 1 -8 Note ...: not applicable
Ecstasy - traffickingTable 3 Note 5 83 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 126 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 50 Note ...: not applicable
Ecstasy - production or importation/exportationTable 3 Note 2 Table 3 Note 5 158 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 778 2 386 Note ...: not applicable
Heroin - possession 2,242 6 2,291 6 1 309
Heroin - trafficking 943 3 848 2 -11 207
Heroin - production or importation/exportationTable 3 Note 2 93 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 198 1 110 255
Opioids (not heroin) - possessionTable 3 Note 6 148 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 1,474 4 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Opioids (not heroin) - traffickingTable 3 Note 6 117 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 941 3 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Opioids (not heroin) - production or importation/exportationTable 3 Note 2 Table 3 Note 6 15 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 75 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Other drugs - possessionTable 3 Note 5 Table 3 Note 6 Table 3 Note 7 7,767 21 7,079 19 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Other drugs - traffickingTable 3 Note 5 Table 3 Note 6 Table 3 Note 7 3,633 10 3,392 9 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
Other drugs - production or importation/exportation or otherTable 3 Note 2 Table 3 Note 5 Table 3 Note 6 Table 3 Note 7 1,789 5 2,175 6 Note ...: not applicable Note ...: not applicable
... not applicable
0s value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded
r revised
Note 1

As a result of the coming into force of the Cannabis Act on October 17, 2018, all prior cannabis-related legislation under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) has been replaced with the Cannabis Act.

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Note 2

In 2018, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Montréal amended their practices for reporting incidents of importation/exportation of drug offences to better align with the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) survey in an effort to report consistent and accurate data. This has contributed to increases in these offences. However, if it is assumed that there were no changes in these counts reported by the Montréal RCMP from 2017 to 2018, there would still be a national increase in importation/exportation offences in 2018 for all drug types except in the case of the "other" drugs category, where it would still show a decrease in these offences.

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Note 3

The Cannabis Act came into force October 17, 2018; therefore, there is no percentage change from 2017 to 2018, or from 2008 to 2018.

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Note 4

Includes "other Cannabis Act" offences, such as possession, production, sale, distribution or importation of anything for use in production or distribution of illicit cannabis, and use of a young person in the commission of a cannabis offence.

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Note 5

In April 2008, the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey began counting violations involving methamphetamines (e.g., crystal meth) and ecstasy (MDA or MDMA) under their own unique violation codes. Prior to this, violations involving methamphetamines and ecstasy were counted under the category of “other drugs”; therefore, the percentage change from 2008 to 2018 for violations involving methamphetamines, ecstasy or "other drugs" are not shown.

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Note 6

In November 2017, the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey began counting violations involving opioids (other than heroin) under their own unique violation codes. Prior to this, violations involving opioids (including fentanyl) were counted within the category of "other drugs"; therefore, the percentage change from 2017 to 2018, and from 2008 to 2018 for violations involving opioids or "other drugs" are not shown.

Return to note 6 referrer

Note 7

Includes all other drugs listed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), such as prescription drugs, barbiturates, LSD and "drugs used to facilitate sexual assault". Trafficking and production of other drugs includes the possession, production, sale or importation of anything (such as precursors) with the knowledge that it will be used in the production or trafficking of a controlled substance (as defined in section 2(1) of the CDSA).

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Note: Police-reported statistics may be affected by differences in the way police services deal with offences. In some instances, police or municipalities might choose to deal with some offences using municipal bylaws or provincial provisions rather than Criminal Code provisions. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple violations. Data for specific types of crime are available, in most cases, from 1977. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Percentage changes are based on unrounded rates. Populations are based upon July 1st estimates from Statistics Canada, Demography Division.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.
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