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    Renewal of Canada's Drug Strategy to Help Reduce the Supply and Demand for Drugs


    OTTAWA - The Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Health, the Honourable Martin Cauchon, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and the Honourable Wayne Easter, Solicitor General of Canada, today announced the renewal of Canada's Drug Strategy. Responding to Parliamentary committees and in partnership with provinces, territories, communities and stakeholders, this Strategy will take a balanced approach to reducing both the demand for, and supply of, drugs. The Government of Canada will invest $245 million over five years to this end.

    Highlights of the new strategy include:

    • community-based initiatives to address a range of prevention, health promotion, treatment and rehabilitation issues;
    • public education campaigns on substance abuse with the specific focus on youth;
    • new funding for research activities, on drug trends to enable more informed decision-making;
    • a biennial, national conference with all stakeholders to set research, promotion and prevention agendas; and,
    • proposed legislative reforms regarding marijuana;
    • new resources to help decrease the supply of illicit drugs.


    "This innovative and comprehensive Strategy deals with the root causes of substance abuse and allows us to develop the tools to prevent it and treat it, particularly among young Canadians," said Minister McLellan. "At the same time that we focus on prevention, education and treatment, this Strategy creates and supports a strong and sustainable enforcement response to those who use or are involved in production and trafficking of illegal drugs."

    The renewed Strategy seeks to ensure that Canadians can live in a society increasingly free of the harms associated with the abuse of drugs. Therefore, the Strategy includes measures to inform Canadians, and particularly youth, about the real harms of all forms of substance abuse.

    The need for a renewed strategy has been well documented in reports by the House Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs and the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs. Both Parliamentary committees held wide consultations across Canada and heard from Canadians, enforcement officials, international associations, governments, health organizations, academia, the medical community, national and local voluntary sector organizations, as well as individuals.

    By renewing and implementing this Strategy, the Government of Canada is responding to these reports and fulfilling its commitment in the 2002 Speech From the Throne. In addition, the Government of Canada is committing to report to Parliament and Canadians every two years on the Strategy's direction and progress.

    The proposed cannabis legislative reforms introduced today in the House of Commons would modernize the way Canada enforces the law, providing for alternative penalties against possession of small amounts of cannabis, and create new, tougher penalties to target large marijuana grow operations.

    "These legislative reforms will ensure that our possession laws can be enforced more effectively across Canada while at the same time toughen penalties against cannabis grow operators," said Minister Cauchon. "Our message to Canadians and especially our young people is clear - marijuana is harmful and it will remain illegal."

    These proposed reforms represent a new approach that the Government of Canada believes will:

    • discourage the use of cannabis through higher rates of enforcement of cannabis possession offences. A more effective response will allow police to use a ticket where in the past they might have issued a warning;
    • modify the penalties for marijuana possession to offer a range that ensures that the punishment available is appropriate to the seriousness of the crime;
    • address the current differential treatment of those who commit cannabis possession offences, for example between rural and urban jurisdictions, across the country, which results in inconsistent treatment of offenders under the law;
    • avoid the complications and expense of the criminal process for minor offences, resulting in more effective use of justice system resources; and
    • address the growing problem of large-scale marijuana grow operations and the export of illegal drugs across our shared Canada-U.S. border.


    “The Government of Canada is committed to a national drug strategy that addresses addiction and promotes public safety,” said Minister Easter. “Today's announcement reflects that commitment and will strengthen enforcement efforts, especially our ability to target large-scale criminal operations that profit from the production and distribution of illegal drugs.”

    Under the proposed legislation, penalties would be tailored to better fit the crime and to discourage production and use of marijuana. For example:

    • by replacing the current criminal court process and resulting criminal penalties with alternative penalties for possession of 15 grams or less of marijuana or one gram or less of cannabis resin (hashish);
    • by providing for greater alternative penalties when aggravating factors are present, including possession while operating a motor vehicle or while on school property;
    • by providing law enforcement officers with the discretion to give a ticket or issue a summons to appear in criminal court for possession of more than 15 grams and up to 30 grams of marijuana; and
    • by creating new offences providing tougher penalties for illegal growers. The larger the operation, the greater the penalty, with a maximum 14 years in prison for anyone found with more than 50 marijuana plants. This is double the current maximum penalty of seven years.


    The Government of Canada will continue working with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, addictions agencies, non-governmental organizations, professional associations, law enforcement agencies, the private sector and community groups to reduce the harm to individuals and to society from the abuse of drugs, as well as alcohol and other substances. A biennial conference will bring all partners together for full discussions on the Strategy's directions.

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    Joint Statement of Canadian
    and US Departments of Justice



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