Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy: Overview

The Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy is important for several reasons. High rates of substance use harms negatively impact people’s:

• health
• livelihoods
• relationships

The current overdose crisis and an increasingly toxic illegal drug supply are also causing deaths and other substance use related harms.

In addition, people seeking services and supports face barriers in accessing:

• treatment
• harm reduction
• recovery-oriented services

Some of these barriers include a lack of integration of mental health and substance use services and supports.

The strategy also aims to address intersecting social issues that cause further harm, like:

• stigma
• housing
• systemic racism
• unequal access to care
• mental health and trauma

The strategy will also guide our efforts to address complex challenges like:

• rising societal costs related to substance use
• drug trafficking profits that fuel community violence and fund other crimes, like human trafficking

Substance use is complex and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to preventing or reducing its harms. This is because substance use exists across a spectrum with varying stages of benefits and harms. Substance use is different from one person to another and a person’s pattern of use can change over time.

The strategy brings together partners across:

• health and social systems
• the criminal justice system
• law and border enforcement

This contributes to providing a range of services and supports that address the unique needs of people in Canada.

Learn more:

• Stigma around drug use
• Substance use spectrum
• Opioid- and Stimulant-related Harms in Canada
• Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms: 2007 to 2020 (PDF, 5.5 MB)

We offer funding to programs and initiatives for a range of services and supports that:

• help people who use drugs and alcohol
• reduce substance use harms in Canada

This includes:

• not-for-profit organizations
• community-led organizations
• other levels of government, like:
  • municipal
  • provincial
  • territorial

Funding is provided through these programs:

• Youth Justice Fund
• Harm Reduction Fund
• Substance Use and Addictions Program
• Drug Treatment Court Funding Program
• Indigenous Services Canada’s Mental Wellness Program
• The upcoming Youth Substance Use Prevention Program
• Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime

Funding through the National Crime Prevention Strategy is also available, including the:

• Youth Gang Prevention Fund
• Crime Prevention Action Fund
• Northern and Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund

Our shared goal is to reduce overall rates of substance use related harms and overdose deaths in Canada. Our success will depend on working closely with our partners and stakeholders.

We’re committed to publicly reporting on our progress towards the long-term outcomes of this strategy. Over the next 5 years, we’ll measure the strategy’s impact through these expected outcomes:

1. People living in Canada have more knowledge, skills and resources related to substance use and its harms
2. More equitable access to services and supports to reduce substance use related harms
3. Population-specific research, data and intelligence on substance use related harms and the illegal drug market are available to support evidence-based decision-making
4. Better support for enforcement and regulatory activities related to controlled substances and precursor chemicals used to make controlled substances

In the medium term, the strategy will contribute to these outcomes:

1. People living in Canada change their behaviours to reduce substance use related harms
2. Legislation, regulations, and government activities to:
   • disrupt illegal activities
   • support legitimate uses of controlled substances and the precursor chemicals used to make these substances

We’re committed to publicly reporting our on progress towards the outcomes of this strategy. Follow our progress and see our impacts in our 2023 to 2024 Departmental Plan and reports.

Health Canada’s 2023-24 Departmental Plan

To help develop the strategy, we:

• consulted with people across Canada on how to strengthen our approach to substance use issues
• reviewed the Expert Task Force on Substance Use’s findings on how to strengthen our public health approach to substance use

Learn more:

• Expert Task Force on Substance Use
• What we heard: Strengthening Canada's approach to substance use issues