Health Canada's Drug Analysis Platform

Publications and notes

This section provides key background information to support interpretation of the dashboard data. It includes technical notes and disclaimers, data source information, and a list of publications from Health Canada’s Drug Analysis Service (DAS), Cannabis Laboratory (CL), and Canadian Drug Analysis Centre (CDAC).

Use the buttons below to see the Publications and Data sources and limitations pages.

Publications

DAS and CL reports, info sheets, and other publications on emerging trends, new psychoactive substances, and other topics of interest.

Data sources and limitations

Technical information on Health Canada’s drug analysis laboratories and the limitations of the data.

Data sources and limitations

Drug Analysis Service

About this data source

Health Canada’s Drug Analysis Service (DAS) operates accredited laboratories in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. DAS provides independent, impartial scientific analysis of suspected illicit drug samples submitted primarily by Canadian law enforcement agencies, with a limited subset of samples submitted by public health partners under specific circumstances. These samples may include powders, tablets, liquids, plant material, and other drug-related materials. DAS confirms the presence of substances controlled under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and issues Certificates of Analyst for use in criminal investigations and court proceedings.

DAS receives more than 100,000 samples per year. The laboratories confirm the identity of substances and, under specific circumstances and upon request from law enforcement, may also perform quantitative purity analyses to support investigations and court proceedings. Quantitative (purity) analysis is conducted on a small subset of samples. Results are summarized in the Analyzed Drug Report page. Broader trends over time are described in the Drug Trends page. Emerging substances of concern are highlighted in the Drug Notification Map, while related scientific outputs can be found under Publications.

DAS also plays a key role in supporting the safe dismantling of clandestine laboratories and offers guidance to police on sampling procedures and safety protocols. All laboratories follow standardized, accredited analytical techniques and maintain strict forensic procedures, including chain-of-custody protocols. The laboratory is accredited to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025.

Data limitations

DAS data are based on drug samples submitted by law enforcement agencies and public health partners. While these data are valuable for informing public health and enforcement responses, they should be interpreted with caution. They reflect only the substances identified in submitted samples and may not represent the full scope of the illicit drug supply in Canada.

Key limitations include:

• Sample submissions are influenced by law enforcement priorities, investigative needs, and regional activity. As a result, some patterns and trends may reflect changes in submission practices rather than actual shifts in the drug supply.
• Substances are categorized based on the date they were identified by the laboratory, which differs (sometimes significantly) from the date the sample was seized.
• DAS data on this platform contain information on individual samples analyzed by DAS laboratories, but do not include seizure-level identifiers (e.g., seizure date, quantity). Law enforcement agencies may submit multiple samples from the same seizure, and some of these may represent repeated testing of the same substance present on site. Findings describe what was submitted to and analyzed by the laboratory, and therefore may not reflect the proportion of particular substances relative to their true occurrence in seizures and more broadly their presence on the illicit market.
• DAS does not systematically test for or report non-controlled substances (e.g., xylazine, cutting agents) unless specifically requested or deemed relevant. This can create gaps in trend data, particularly when testing is expanded in response to emerging trends in substances of concerns.
• Quantification (purity) analysis is performed on a limited subset of DAS samples (approximately 1% of samples analyzed over the past 10 years) and only for certain substances, based on law enforcement requests. The results are not comprehensive and should be interpreted with caution. They are not intended to reflect broader trends or average purity in the overall drug supply.

Additionally, please note that data from the COVID-19 pandemic period should be interpreted with caution, as operational constraints limited sample submission and analysis, creating backlogs that may affect trends observed during this period and in the months immediately following.

Cannabis Laboratory

About this data source

Health Canada’s Cannabis Laboratory (CL), established in 2021, is the federal government’s central laboratory for cannabis testing. It provides scientific and technical services in support of Health Canada’s Cannabis Inspection Program and assists law enforcement with investigations involving illicit cannabis. The laboratory is accredited to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025.

The Cannabis Laboratory receives over 12,000 suspected illicit cannabis exhibits each year from law enforcement agencies across Canada. Results are reported in Certificates of Analyst, which may be used in investigations or court proceedings. Additionally, the lab provides expert advice, training, and forensic support for dismantling clandestine cannabis operations.

The Cannabis Laboratory also analyses cannabis samples collected during inspections and compliance monitoring for regulatory purposes. For more information on the Cannabis Laboratory’s regulatory activities, please refer to the Cannabis Laboratory webpage.

Results are summarized in the Analyzed Cannabis Report, with related outputs available under Publications.

Data limitations

This platform only presents information on the illicit cannabis samples submitted by law enforcement agencies. These data support law enforcement investigations, but should be interpreted with caution. They reflect samples selected for analysis and may not represent the full range of illicit cannabis products available in Canada. Results based on CL data should not be interpreted as representative of national cannabis product trends.

Key limitations include:

• Illicit cannabis samples submitted by law enforcement reflect enforcement priorities and regional activity. These submissions may not capture the full range of products or substances circulating in the illicit market.
• Analyses are conducted within defined testing parameters (e.g., cannabinoid content, quantification). Not all samples are tested for the same factors, and not all potential risks are assessed.