Drugs are not legal in Vancouver. British Columbia’s three-year decriminalization pilot expired on January 31, 2026, and the province chose not to seek a renewal. As of February 1, 2026, possessing any amount of illicit drugs anywhere in Vancouver is once again a criminal offense under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.1BC Centre for Disease Control. Decriminalization in B.C.
What Changed on February 1, 2026
From January 31, 2023 through January 31, 2026, adults 18 and older in BC could carry a cumulative total of 2.5 grams or less of opioids, crack or powder cocaine, methamphetamine, or MDMA without facing criminal charges. Police were directed to offer health information and referrals instead of arresting people or seizing their drugs.2Health Canada. B.C. Receives Exemption to Decriminalize Possession of Some Illegal Drugs for Personal Use
That protection is gone. BC’s Minister of Health announced the province would not ask the federal government to extend the exemption, saying the pilot “has not delivered the results we hoped for.” No replacement program has been introduced.3Government of British Columbia. Minister’s Statement on Status of the Decriminalization Pilot Program
The practical effect for anyone in Vancouver: carrying heroin, morphine, fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, or MDMA is now a chargeable offense in any amount, in any location outside the small number of specifically exempted sites discussed below.
What You Can Be Charged With
Simple possession of a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act — heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine — is an indictable offense carrying up to seven years in prison. The Crown also has discretion to prosecute it as a less serious offense.4Department of Justice Canada. Controlled Drugs and Substances Act SC 1996 c 19
Police can also seize the substance on the spot. Under the pilot they could not; now they can.
How Police Are Handling Possession in Practice
Vancouver police have signaled that the end of decriminalization will not translate into a wave of possession arrests. The BC Association of Chiefs of Police said officers will generally not arrest people for small amounts “unless there are extenuating circumstances,” such as public disorder, and the province worked with police agencies on enforcement protocols that encourage warnings or referrals when public safety is not at risk.1BC Centre for Disease Control. Decriminalization in B.C.
The legal authority to arrest and charge is nonetheless back. Whether a given officer uses it in a given situation is a discretionary call, not a right you can rely on. Anyone carrying illicit drugs in Vancouver is now taking a legal risk that did not exist under the pilot.
Cannabis Is a Separate Question
Recreational cannabis has been legal across Canada since October 2018 under the Cannabis Act. Adults can possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis in public and grow up to four plants per household. Cannabis was never part of the BC decriminalization pilot, and the end of that pilot does not change cannabis rules. When people ask whether “drugs” are legal in Vancouver, cannabis and the substances listed above are answered separately.
Activities That Were Never Decriminalized
Even at the height of the pilot, only personal possession of small amounts was shielded. Everything else remained a serious offense and still is.
Trafficking and Production
Selling, transporting, giving away, or distributing controlled substances is trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. For Schedule I and II substances, including heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, trafficking carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Production of the same substances also carries potential life imprisonment.4Department of Justice Canada. Controlled Drugs and Substances Act SC 1996 c 19
Drug-Impaired Driving
Driving under the influence of any drug is a Criminal Code offense. A first conviction carries a mandatory minimum $1,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison. A second means at least 30 days in jail, and a third at least 120 days. Police can test for THC, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, psilocybin, ketamine, and PCP.5Department of Justice Canada. Impaired Driving Laws
Borders and U.S. Travel
The pilot never applied at the border. Taking any controlled substance across the Canadian border, in either direction and in any amount, is a serious criminal offense. Violators can be charged, denied entry at their destination, and denied entry to other countries later.6Government of Canada. Drugs, Alcohol and Travel
A separate risk affects U.S. travel. U.S. immigration law treats controlled substance violations as grounds for denying entry, and U.S. border agents may ask about past drug use. A record or an admission can create inadmissibility problems regardless of whether the substance was decriminalized in BC at the time.
Where Possession Is Still Not Prosecuted
Supervised consumption sites, overdose prevention sites, and drug-checking services in Vancouver and across BC continue to operate as specifically exempted spaces. Possession of illicit substances at those locations does not result in criminal charges.7Government of British Columbia. Decriminalizing People Who Use Drugs in B.C.
Naloxone kits, treatment referrals, and safe supply programs remain available through provincial health services, and seeking help through those channels does not expose you to prosecution.