Is Crack Cocaine legal in Canada?
- Legal status
- Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in Canada: it is controlled AS cocaine, a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), whose entry covers coca and cocaine including its salts, derivatives and preparations, thereby reaching the base/freebase form. Crack ('crack cocaine') is treated identically to cocaine under Schedule I.
- Consequences if caught
- Possession of crack (as cocaine) is an offence (up to 7 years on indictment); trafficking, production and import/export carry up to life imprisonment under the CDSA.
- If prescribed or medical
- Cocaine hydrochloride has narrow authorised medical use as a topical anaesthetic; the crack/freebase base has no medicinal form and cannot be prescribed.
- Documentation
- No prescription documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Canada’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →