Crystal Meth

Unlike plant-based drugs such as cocaine and marijuana, Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant made from chemicals and is available as a powder or crystal. First synthesized by an Italian chemist in 1887, it was used decades later for the treatment of asthma. Since 1937 it has been recommended in the treatment of narcolepsy and depression. In 2005, Methamphetamine was added to the list of prohibited substances in the Controlled Drugs and Other Substances Act in response to growing concerns about its negative consequences.

The crystal version is sought out for its long-lasting, intense physiological effects. If you smoke or inject crystal meth, you may feel an immediate euphoria or rush, followed by a high that could last 12 hours or more. Afterward, withdrawal symptoms include drug cravings, paranoia, and depression.

Crystal meth resembles glass fragments or shiny blue-white "rocks" of various sizes. You may know it by names such as meth, crystal, wash, ice, speed, tina, trash, gak, pookie, no doze, white cross, rocket fuel, crank,  scooby snax, glass, chalk, rock, peach, pink, tweak, candy, peanut, jib, pill or blade.

The use, production and possessionHaving knowledge and control of something — not only physically holding it, but also an item kept somewhere else that you know about and control. of crystal meth are illegal in Canada. The drug as well as the precursors used to produce it are included in Schedules I to IX of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA).

Crystal meth is classified as a Schedule ICommonly characterized as “hard drugs" narcotic under the CDSA which means it is one of the drugs police and courts take most seriously. Driving while impaired by crystal meth is also a criminal offence. The drug can show up in blood or urine samples.

In 2017, 379 kilograms of meth were seized in Canada, an increase of about 186 per cent from 2015. From 2016 to 2018, Methamphetamine was the third most commonly identified substance seized by Canadian law enforcement agencies, after cannabis and cocaine. In Alberta, Methamphetamine valued at just under $4-million accounted for approximately 40 per cent of drugs seized across the province in 2017-2018.

To find you guilty of possessing crystal meth, the Crown must establish you were in possession of the drug. Keep in mind that “possession” is not just limited to the idea that the drug was found on your person or in your car or house. Instead, it means that you had some degree of control and knowledge of the drug.

As a result, you can be found guilty of possession even if the crystal meth was found at someone’s else house or in a friend’s gym bag.

The Crown must also prove that the substance is listed in the CDSA and that you knew what it was. The Crown does not have to prove that you knew the exact law. But if you genuinely did not know what the substance was, that may matter.

Methamphetamine is a Schedule I drug under the CDSA, the same schedule that includes cocaine and heroin. Possession is one offence. TraffickingInfluencing the movements of a person in order to exploit them, possession for the purpose of trafficking, importing/exporting, and production are separate, more serious offences. Those serious Schedule I offences can carry a maximum of life imprisonment.

The Crown has the discretion to treat your crystal meth charge as a summary convictionUsed for lesser offences or indictable offenceA more serious type of Canadian criminal offence.. If it is your first offence and you are found guilty on summary conviction, you face a maximum fine of $1,000, imprisonment up to six months or both. For a subsequent offence, the maximum fine increases to $2,000 while the maximum imprisonment cannot exceed one year, or both.

If the Crown treats your possession charge as an indictable offence, the maximum prison term increases to seven years.

November 17, 2022
Update: Bill C-5: Mandatory Minimum Penalties Repealed.

Crystal meth / methamphetamine is currently treated as a Schedule I substance under the CDSA.