Canada. Bureau of Dangerous Drugs : Under the Opium and Narcotic Drug Act of 1908, the federal government was empowered to ensure the adequate control and proper use (from a medical and scientific standpoint) of all opium and narcotic drugs within Canada. In 1924, the former Narcotics Control Division was created and given the responsibility of overseeing the legal control of all narcotic drugs in Canada and preventing illegal importation. In addition to this task, the Division was heavily involved in international activities relating to the control of opium and narcotics, as had been decided at the 1924 Geneva international conference involving the International Opium Convention and the League of Nations. After discussions on the world requirements for legitimate medical use of opium and coca leaf, the meeting resulted in an international agreement to enforce strict control over the manufacture, sale, and distribution of the various opium derivatives such as heroin and morphine.
In 1972, the Narcotics Control Division was replaced by the Bureau of Dangerous Drugs (BDD) of the newly-formed Health Protection Branch. The Bureau was responsible for administering all facets of federal legislation relating to narcotic, controlled and restricted drugs, under such legislation as the Food and Drugs Act (1953), Parts III (controlled drugs) and IV (restricted drugs), the Food and Drug Regulations Parts G and J, and Canada's international obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 Vienna Convention Against Illicit Traffic of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances. Their activities began with the manufacture or import/export of drugs, through to their distribution and prescription or administration to patients; they included investigations and monitoring of practitioners, pharmacies, manufacturers, and individuals (either those receiving prescriptions or charged with a drug-related offence), licensing for imports/exports, and the disposal of seized drugs or assets.
