Oxycodone

Oxycodone is a Schedule ICommonly characterized as “hard drugs" narcotic under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). It was first synthesized in Germany in 1916 but wasn’t made available in North America until 1939. Researchers say it has been overprescribed, leading to an opioid crisis. Its use has increased dramatically over the years.

In Ontario, for example, prescriptions for oxycodone increased by 850 percent between 1991 and 2007, according to one report.

OxyContin was developed in 1995 and is a time-release form of oxycodone that provided long-lasting pain relief. OxyContin, which generally contains higher concentrations of oxycodone than non-time release drugs, became associated with abuse and addiction problems. It was removed from the Canadian market in 2012 and replaced with OxyNEO, a similar drug not as easy to crush for the purposes of snorting or injecting. 

According to the Government of Canada (Opioid- and Stimulant-related Harms in Canada,) the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the ongoing crisis of opioid overdoses and death. The government reported 1,705 apparent opioid toxicity deaths between July and September 2020 representing the highest quarterly count since national surveillance began in 2016.

You may know it better by its street names, which include oxys, blues, hillbilly heroin, kickers, killers, percs and roxies.

Oxycodone targets opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord and some internal organs to help to suppress pain. It can create feelings of euphoria or well-being. When properly prescribed and supervised by a doctor, it is an effective pain reliever. However, if you have a history of alcohol or drug abuse you are susceptible to oxycodone addiction. 

Opioids can cause drowsiness, dizziness, mood swings, respiratory depression, coma and even death at certain doses. It can also cause loss of appetite, sweating, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and sleep apnea. Withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant and include insomnia, anxiety, agitation, muscle pain, tremors and sweating.

If you crush the pills and mix it with other chemicals to get high you could permanently damage veins and organs.

Because it is a potent painkiller, oxycodone can be highly addictive. If you start out taking the prescribed amount, your body may develop a tolerance so you need higher doses to maintain the same relief. This is when the transition from use to abuse to addiction can occur.

Oxycodone is a Schedule ICommonly characterized as “hard drugs" drug. You may possess oxycodone lawfully if it is authorized, such as through a valid prescription. Selling or sharing oxycodone, producing it, or importing or exporting it are separate CDSA offences and are not made lawful simply because someone has a prescription.

“Double doctoring” or “doctor shoppingVisiting several doctors to gain multiple prescriptions” means seeking or getting controlled substances from more than one practitioner without disclosing the other recent prescriptions; it is addressed in s.4(2) of the CDSA.

Illegal opioids are any opioids that are made, shared or sold illegally and include:

• street drugs from a drug dealer;
• opioids received by someone who is not your health-care provider; or
• opioids that are not prescribed to you but are taken from someone else.

To find you guilty of possessing an opioid, the Crown must establish beyond a reasonable doubtThe high standard the Crown must meet to prove guilt. that you were in 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 the drug. Remember 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 oxycodone was found at someone else's house or in a friend’s locker.

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. If you had a valid prescription or other legal authorization, possessing it may be allowed.

Drug crimes are generally distinguished as either possession or sales offences. If you have been charged with possessing a small amount of illegally obtained oxycodone you will likely face a light sentence for a first conviction. Selling or distributing narcotics come with much more severe penalties

It all depends on the specifics of your case. If you have been convicted of illegally possessing, manufacturing or distributing a narcotic you could be sent to jail, even if it is your first offence. Sentences will vary depending on how much you possessed and if there were any aggravating factorsA fact or circumstance that may support a more severe sentence..

Oxycodone is a Schedule I drug. Simple possession is a hybrid offenceAn offence the Crown can proceed with summarily or by indictment.: on indictment the maximum is 7 years; on summary convictionLess-serious criminal offences the maximum is $1,000 and/or 6 months for a first offence, or $2,000 and/or 1 year for a subsequent offence. TraffickingInfluencing the movements of a person in order to exploit them, possession for the purpose of trafficking, production, and importing or exporting are more serious offences. Each of these is an indictable offenceA more serious type of Canadian criminal offence. and carries a maximum of life imprisonment. There are no mandatory minimum sentences.

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

Possession may be lawful if the person is authorized under the regulations, such as by having a valid prescription for them. Possession without authorization can be charged under the CDSA.

Simple possession is hybrid, but trafficking, importing/exporting, and production of a Schedule I substance are indictable-only offences.