Past, current, and future directions in Canadian drug policy

Canada's earliest drug laws were directed at the opiates and cocaine. More recent concerns have been with cannabis, other hallucinogens, and the reemergence of cocaine, especially in the form of crack. Renewed enforcement efforts, combined with the redirection of priorities toward demand reduction via educational intervention, have been the hallmarks of recent Canadian drug policy initiatives. Some implications of these strategies for the future definition of the boundaries of Canada's drug problems, and likely policy directions, are discussed.