Health Canada moving to control chemicals used to make fentanyl

Canada is experiencing a growing number of opioid overdoses and deaths across the country, and days such as the International Overdose Awareness Day are bringing needed attention to this crisis. The government of Canada is committed to addressing this complex public health issue.

The severity of this crisis in Canada requires that governments work together and move as fast as possible in order to confront the issue from all sides, stated the medicines regulator Health Canada.

As part of the federal government's commitment to take action to address the national opioid crisis, Health Canada is proposing to move forward with plans to restrict six chemicals used in the production of fentanyl, originally put forward by Senator Vern White's Senate Public Bill S-225, An Act to Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act (substances used in the production of fentanyl). This regulatory proposal would achieve the intent of Senator White's Bill in an expeditious fashion, and add these substances to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and the Precursor Control Regulations (PCR), meaning that their unauthorized importation and exportation would be illegal.