Table 6
Police-reported crime for selected drug offences, Canada, 2019 and 2020


Table 6
Police-reported crime for selected drug offences, Canada, 2019 and 2020
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), 2019, 2020, Change in rate 2019 to 2020 and Change in rate 2010 to 2020, calculated using number, rate and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Type of offence 2019Note r: revised 2020 Change in rate 2019 to 2020 Change in rate 2010 to 2020
number rate number rate percent
Total drug offences 69,949 186 66,827 176 -5 -45
Total cannabis offencesTable 6 Note 1 16,576 44 12,591 33 -25 Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - possessionTable 6 Note 2 1,856 5 1,378 4 -27 Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - distributionTable 6 Note 2 987 3 1,103 3 11 Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - saleTable 6 Note 2 1,095 3 867 2 -22 Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - importation or exportationTable 6 Note 2 Table 6 Note 3 10,763 29 7,552 20 -31 Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - productionTable 6 Note 2 924 2 1,020 3 9 Note ...: not applicable
Cannabis (Cannabis Act) - otherTable 6 Note 2 Table 6 Note 4 517 1 538 1 3 Note ...: not applicable
Total other drug offences (excluding cannabis) 53,373 142 54,236 143 1 43
Cocaine - possession 6,775 18 6,344 17 -7 -23
Cocaine - trafficking 8,102 22 8,428 22 3 -21
Cocaine - production or importation/exportation 597 2 584 2 -3 69
Methamphetamine - possession 10,957 29 10,340 27 -7 507
Methamphetamine - trafficking 3,258 9 3,390 9 3 318
Methamphetamine - production or importation/exportation 376 1 245 1 -36 272
Ecstasy - possession 231 1 218 1 -7 -71
Ecstasy - trafficking 115 Note 0svalue rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 104 Note 0svalue rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded -11 -77
Ecstasy - production or importation/exportation 321 1 305 1 -6 638
Heroin - possession 2,355 6 1,976 5 -17 281
Heroin - trafficking 717 2 690 2 -5 75
Heroin - production or importation/exportation 141 Note 0svalue rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 89 Note 0svalue rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded -38 -6
Opioids (not heroin) - possessionTable 6 Note 5 2,365 6 3,397 9 42 Note ...: not applicable
Opioids (not heroin) - traffickingTable 6 Note 5 1,366 4 1,666 4 21 Note ...: not applicable
Opioids (not heroin) - production or importation/exportationTable 6 Note 5 65 Note 0svalue rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 79 Note 0svalue rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded 20 Note ...: not applicable
Other drugs - possessionTable 6 Note 5 Table 6 Note 6 7,736 21 8,158 21 4 Note ...: not applicable
Other drugs - traffickingTable 6 Note 5 Table 6 Note 6 5,289 14 5,626 15 5 Note ...: not applicable
Other drugs - production or importation/exportation or otherTable 6 Note 5 Table 6 Note 6 2,607 7 2,597 7 -1 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. A select few historical incidents were reported under prior CDSA cannabis legislation and are included in the total cannabis offences category, accounting for 1% of total cannabis offences in 2020 and 3% of total cannabis offences in 2019. Therefore, the sum of all Cannabis Act offences will not equal total cannabis offences.

Return to note 1 referrer

Note 2

The Cannabis Act came into force October 17, 2018; therefore, there is no percentage change from 2010 to 2020.

Return to note 2 referrer

Note 3

The Montréal CMA in Quebec accounted for the majority of the national decrease in importation or exportation offences reported under the Cannabis Act, decreasing 72% (4,180 fewer incidents) from 2019 to 2020. The large decrease in offences year-over-year was due in part to fewer postal seizures and seizures conducted by the Canada Border Services Agency in Montréal since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the Vancouver CMA in British Columbia accounted for 56% of all importation or exportation offences reported under the Cannabis Act (4,194 of the 7,552 offences reported nationally). The high proportion of offences was due in part to seizure cases, conducted by the Canada Border Services Agency and the Canada Post Mail Centre in the Vancouver CMA, being forwarded for processing and investigation. As a result of this exchange, the year in which occurrences were reported by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police may not always correspond to the year in which they occurred.

Return to note 3 referrer

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.

Return to note 4 referrer

Note 5

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 2010 to 2020 for violations involving opioids or "other drugs" are not shown.

Return to note 5 referrer

Note 6

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).

Return to note 6 referrer

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, Centre for Demography.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.
Date modified: