Government of Canada takes further action to address fentanyl precursor chemicals

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 14, 2025 /CNW/ - We are accelerating Canada's work to detect, disrupt, and dismantle the fentanyl trade. Illegal drugs are having a devastating impact on people and communities, including creating security challenges associated with their illegal production, importation, trafficking, and related crimes. Health Canada plays a critical role in supporting Canadian law and border enforcement in their activities to disrupt the global drug threat and is taking concrete action to keep communities safe on both sides of the border.

Today, the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced consultations on the implementation of additional controls for three precursor chemicals that can be used in the production of illegal drugs. 

Most precursors used in the illegal production of drugs are already controlled through various mechanisms to mitigate the diversion of these chemicals to organized crime. To give law enforcement more tools to help disrupt the production and supply of illegal drugs, we plan to quickly add additional controls on these chemicals. Additionally, Health Canada is proposing to control the drug carisoprodol, a sedative not currently marketed in Canada.

Health Canada is aware that these substances may have legitimate and important commercial, industrial, research or analytical uses in Canada and is asking for input from all potentially impacted parties. This consultation will open for public comment in the Canada Gazette, Part I on February 14,  and close on February 24, 2025. The Government of Canada intends to emergency schedule by March 1, 2025.

This consultation is linked to Canada's border plan that sets out a commitment from Health Canada to launch a new Precursor Chemical Risk Management Unit to provide better insight into precursor chemicals, distribution channels, and enhance monitoring and surveillance to enable timely law enforcement action. Canada's border plan will accelerate the regulatory process for banning precursors, enabling border and law enforcement to act rapidly to prevent their illegal importation and use.

Quotes

"Fentanyl is a threat to our communities and public safety. The changes proposed today will strengthen Canada's existing strict controls on substances linked to the illegal drug market and provide additional tools to law and border enforcement as they work to detect and disrupt the illegal drug trade. This is another important step in addressing the overdose crisis and keeping communities safe."

The Honourable Ya'ara Saks
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health

"We are using every tool in the fight against fentanyl and illegal drugs. Strengthening our law enforcement agencies to go after the production and distribution of trafficking fentanyl will protect our communities, keep Canadians safe, and stop drugs from crossing over our border." 

The Honourable David McGuinty
Minister of Public Safety

"Tackling the scourge of fentanyl in our communities requires us to use every tool at our disposal to stop its production and distribution in Canada, and across our borders. I have been clear, no amount of fentanyl is too small to tackle, and our goal is to eliminate it completely. These proposed changes by Health Canada will help law enforcement agencies dismantle the fentanyl trade, and reduce the production of fentanyl in our country."

Kevin Brosseau
Fentanyl Czar

Quick Facts

• Kevin Brosseau, Canada's new Fentanyl Czar, brings extensive law enforcement experience to this work, having served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for over 20 years, including as Deputy Commissioner and top cop in Manitoba. 
• Canada and the US have one of the closest and most respected relationships in the world and we continue to work together to protect the security of our shared border while facilitating the secure transfer of services and goods.
• To ensure that law and border enforcement have the tools they need to detect and address fentanyl and its precursors, the federal government is investing $78.7 million to expand Health Canada's laboratory and regulatory capabilities.
• Health Canada will create a new the Canadian Drug Analysis Centre (CDAC) to expand its laboratory-based drug testing capabilities. The creation of the CDAC will allow for more specialized forensic analysis of seized illegal drug samples. The analysis will go beyond identifying the components of a sample and look at markers to help determine how and where these substances were manufactured. Such intelligence will then be used by law enforcement and public safety partners to more strategically target criminal organizations.

Associated Links

• Consultation: Notice of intent to control fentanyl precursor chemicals and carisoprodol 
• Canada's new Fentanyl Czar
• Strengthening Border Security
• Controlled substances and precursor chemicals

SOURCE Health Canada (HC)

Contacts: Callum Haney , Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, 343-576-4407; Media Relations, Health Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Public Inquiries, 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709