Amendments to CDSA Schedules

Summary#

The federal government published the Order Amending Schedules I, III, IV and VI to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (SOR/2025-243). It changes how several substances are listed (including replacing or updating chemical names), removes two items from Schedule IV, and standardizes some chemical notation; the Order comes into force on October 1, 2026.

What it does#

• Updates or replaces entries in Schedule I for specific substances, including methyldesorphine, pholcodine, benzéthidine (French entry), dextropropoxyphene, racemethorphan, phenampromide, p‑Fluorofentanyl, tilidine, and MDMA.
• Replaces items in Schedule III to define benzylpiperazine (BZP) and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP) more clearly.
• Deletes two subitems from Schedule IV (removes specific entries listed in the Order).
• Replaces Greek-letter symbols with words (changes “α” to “alpha” and “ß” to “beta”) across many entries in Schedules I, III, IV and VI to standardize wording.
• Comes into force on October 1, 2026.

Who's affected#

• People working in law enforcement and public safety who deal with controlled substances.
• Health-care and harm-reduction providers who encounter or test these drugs.
• Researchers, laboratories, manufacturers, distributors and importers of these chemicals.
• People who use or possess these substances (including those involved in treatment or criminal cases).
• Courts, legal professionals, and regulators who apply the lists in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

If it’s unclear whether a particular product or chemical is affected, this Order’s exact wording should be checked or a specialist (lawyer, regulator, or public health official) consulted.

Why it matters#

• Lists in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act determine which chemicals are officially controlled at the federal level. Changing those lists can affect how substances are regulated, monitored, accessed for research or medical use, and enforced by police.
• The edits include both substance-specific updates (which may affect availability, testing, or enforcement) and technical clarifications (the “alpha”/“beta” wording) that reduce ambiguity in chemical names.
• The changes take effect on October 1, 2026, so anyone handling these substances should be aware of the new listings from that date.