Maximum Sentence
Life imprisonment (Schedule I/II) / 10 years (Schedule III)
Classification: Indictable
🍁 Immigration Impact
Drug trafficking is serious criminality under IRPA s.36(1) for Schedule I/II substances (life maximum) and Schedule III (10-year maximum). Deemed rehabilitation is generally NOT available for trafficking offences. Criminal rehabilitation application is the only pathway. Cannabis trafficking remains illegal despite legalization of possession.
Legal Text — CDSA s. CDSA-5
No person shall traffic in a substance included in Schedule I, II, III, IV or V of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, or in any substance represented or held out to be such a substance. Punishment: Schedule I or II — life imprisonment. Schedule III — indictable: 10 years. Schedule IV — indictable: 3 years. Schedule V — summary: 1 year.
Amendment History (1)
1996, c. 19, s. 5
Related Sections
CDSA-4Possession of SubstanceHybridCDSA-6Importing and ExportingIndictableCDSA-7Production of SubstanceIndictable
Official Source: Justice Canada — CDSA (authoritative, may differ from this display)
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