The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act defines “traffic” as to sell, administer, give, transfer, transport, send or deliver a scheduled substance, to sell an authorization to obtain it, or to offer to do any of those things, otherwise than under the regulations (Justice Laws, CDSA). No sale or money is required: giving a substance away fits the definition.
Section 5(1) prohibits trafficking in a substance in Schedules I to V, and also in anything a person represents or holds out to be such a substance. Section 5(2) separately prohibits possession for the purpose of trafficking (Justice Laws, CDSA). For Schedule III substances such as psilocybin, the maximum is ten years on indictment or 18 months on summary conviction.
These are statutory maximums. Sentences depend on the facts and on sentencing principles in the Criminal Code, and federal prosecutors work under published guidelines. The Act we read on Justice Laws was current to 30 September 2026. This is a description of the law, not legal advice.
General information, not legal advice.
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