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.”
According to data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2024 saw drug crime increase 13 percent from the prior year. There was an increase for most types of drug crime, including 2,272 more cannabis-related incidents, 1,462 more cocaine-related incidents, and 1,105 more non-heroin opioid offences….