Benzodiazepines: A look at the evolving illicit drug landscape

This one pager aim to offer an overview of the benzodiazepine landscape in Canada based on samples submitted to DAS laboratories between 2017 to 2026. The main take of the document is that the presence of benzodiazepines in Canada’s illicit drug supply has shifted over the past decade. Samples containing benzodiazepines increased sharply in 2020 (+40.1%) and peaked in 2021 (+119.6%). Following this peak, detections have declined year over year, decreasing by 16.6% in 2024 and 28.3% in 2025.

Publisher

Health Canada

Resources

2

Updated

2026-08-10