Drug Crimes Rose in 2024 After 12 Years of Trending Downward: Statistics Canada

Drug Crimes Rose in 2024 After 12 Years of Trending Downward: Statistics Canada
Seized fentanyl is displayed during a press conference at BC RCMP Divisional Headquarters in Surrey, B.C., on Feb. 23, 2024. The Canadian Press/Tijana Martin
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Police-reported drug crime has risen for the first time in 12 years, according to a new report by Statistics Canada.

The statistics agency said on Oct. 29 that drug crime rose in 2024 to 128 incidents per 100,000 people, but noted that this “remained well below its historic peak” of 330 incidents per 100,000 people in 2011. StatCan said this decline in drug crime happened because of the legalization of non-medical cannabis and “shifts in police practices.”