This guide offers a listing of key resources related to drug offences in Canada. Topics in this area include but are not limited to:
- constitutional and procedural issues
- possession
- trafficking
- proceeds of crime
- evidentiary issues
- defences
- sentencing
For more information on sentencing also see our research guide: Criminal Law – Sentencing.
Texts
- Canada’s Cannabis Act: annotation & commentary by Russell Bennett & Alan Young Table of Contents.
- Cannabis law, 2nd ed. by Bruce A. MacFarlane, Robert J. Frater & Croft Michaelson Table of Contents.
- Defending drug cases, 4th ed. by Michael Bolton Table of Contents.
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- Liquor and cannabis liability law in Canada, 2nd ed. by Lorne Folick, Michael Libby & Paul Dawson. Table of Contents.
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- Prosecuting and defending drug cases (available online), 2nd ed. by Nathan Gorman et al. Table of Contents.
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- Wigmore on cannabis : the forensic toxicology of marijuana for lawyers and other medicolegal professionals (available online), by James G. Wigmore Table of Contents.
Last revised Apr. 25, 2024
- Tremeear’s Criminal Code: and the following related statutes, Canada Evidence Act, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Food and Drugs Act, Narcotic Control Act, Young Offenders Act (available online) by David Watt & Michelle K. Fuerst Table of Contents.
- Crankshaw’s Criminal Code of Canada: R.S.C. 1985 (available online), by Gary P. Rodrigues.
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Last revised Apr. 6, 2023
Case Law
For more information on finding cases see our research guide: Finding and researching cases.
A collection of the judgments of the Alberta Courts is available from CanLII. The official version of the reasons for judgment is the signed original or handwritten endorsement in the court file. If there is a question about the content of a judgment, the original court file takes precedence.
The Canadian Abridgment available on: Westlaw Canada
All Canadian Summaries, Canadian Case Summaries and Canada Digest are available on: LexisAdvance® Quicklaw®
Legislation
Federal Statutes
Federal Acts and Regulations can be found online:
Regulations under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
- Benzodiazepines and Other Target Substances Regulations, SOR/2000-217
- Cannabis Regulations, SOR/2018-144
- Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Police Enforcement) Regulations, SOR/97-234
- Industrial Hemp Regulations, SOR/2018-145
- Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, SOR/2013-119
- Narcotic Control Regulations, C.R.C., c. 1041
- New Classes of Practitioners Regulations, SOR/2012-230
- Precursor Control Regulations, SOR/2002-359
- Qualifications for Designations as Analysts Regulations, SOR/98-594
- Regulations Exempting Certain Precursors and Controlled Substances from the Application of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, SOR/97-229
Encyclopedias
Canadian encyclopedic digest (C.E.D.) (Western), 4th ed.
Sections related to Drug Offences include:
- Criminal law – Defences.
- Criminal law – Offences.
The CED provides discussion of these areas of law with annotations to legislation and case law.
Available online through: Westlaw Canada
Halsbury’s laws of Canada is a multi-volume set which includes coverage of Federal, Provincial & Territorial legislation. Also available online through: LexisAdvance® Quicklaw®
This encyclopedia explains the legislation and cases which govern criminal law issues in every jurisdiction in Canada, allowing you to quickly locate, contextualize and apply the basic elements of the law.
Titles related to Drug Offences include:
- Controlled Drugs and cannabis (HDS) Table of contents
- Criminal Offences and Defences (HCR) Table of contents
Additional information may be found under other topical headings.
Journals
- The Canadian abridgement : index to Canadian legal literature (ICLL) Available online on Westlaw Canada and Lexis Advance® Quicklaw®
- Current index to Legal Periodicals ( available online)
Additional full-text articles are available electronically through:
- vLex Justis
- HeinOnline – provides full-text access to Canadian and international law reviews and legal journals.
- Lexis Advance® Quicklaw®
- Westlaw Canada contains a collection of Canadian journals and law reviews, as well as all articles and case comments appearing in Carswell law reports.
For the defence Criminal Lawyers’ Association newsletter
Websites
- All Rise (Previously NADCP National Association of Drug Court Professionals)
- The Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Court Professionals
- Illicit Drugs and Crime in Canada (Juristat – Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics)
- The Media Awareness Project: Drug Policy Links
- National Anti-Drug Strategy (Government of Canada)
- Trends in Drug Offences and the Role of Alcohol and Drugs in Crime (Juristat – Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics)
Disclaimer: As law librarians, we are pleased to provide you this resource for information and research purposes only – It is not a substitute for professional legal advice. We strive to bring you quality and current information in this resource, but we make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, accessibility, adequacy, or completeness of the information presented here. The sources featured are selected based on professional assessment and opinion, and do not constitute an endorsement, editorial, review, or guarantee.